| 1997 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Pete Carroll |
| Home field | Foxboro Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 17–3 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Steelers) 6–7 |
| Pro Bowlers | T Bruce Armstrong QB Drew Bledsoe TE Ben Coates LB Chris Slade ST Larry Whigham |
| AP All-Pros | LB Chris Slade (2nd team) |
The 1997 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 28th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 38th overall. They finished the season with a 10–6 record and a division title but lost in the playoffs to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In January, when the Patriots were preparing to face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, it was suspected head coach Bill Parcells was looking to move to another team after the game where he would have more say over personnel matters.[1] In the 1996 NFL draft, Parcells' relationship with owner Robert Kraft soured when Kraft selected wide receiver Terry Glenn. After the Patriots' loss in Super Bowl XXXI, Parcells resigned from the Patriots, using the phrase "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."[2] Due to an earlier renegotiation that had eliminated the 1997 season from Parcells' contract, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue ruled Parcells could not be a head coach for another team in 1997.[3] Parcells instead moved to the New York Jets as a "consultant", taking assistant head coach Bill Belichick with him to be the Jets' head coach; Kraft called this a "transparent farce" and accused the Jets of tampering with Parcells.[3] The NFL ruled in the Patriots' favor and the Patriots received third and fourth-round picks in the 1997 NFL draft, a second-round pick in the 1998 NFL draft, and a first-round pick in the 1999 NFL draft in compensation for allowing Parcells to become the Jets' head coach.[3]
Taking Parcells' place with the Patriots was Pete Carroll, who had coincidentally been the Jets' head coach in 1994. The Patriots began the season 5–1 but later stumbled to a 6–5 record later in the season. The Patriots managed to finish 10–6 and first in the AFC East for the second straight season. With the third seed in the AFC playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 17–3 in the Wild Card Game but were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 7–6, on the road the next week.