FOXBORO — What?

You thought the famously defiant, driven, cunning and calculated Bill Belichick would lay down?

Never.

Not at 2-10. Not inside a swirling snowstorm at 4-12. Not even at what appears to be the icy end of his legendary run in New England.

Belichick wants to stay, coach and fight. Period.

In standing his ground Monday during an end-of-season press conference, Belichick broke a cardinal rule of his own media playbook. He volunteered information about his contract; something, to my knowledge, he’s never done.

“So, I’m under contract,” Belichick said. “(I) do what I always do, which is every day I come in and work as hard as I can to help the team in whatever way I can.”

That comment wasn’t prompted by a question. Belichick said that in his opening statement. He started with six sentences on the season, then the next place he pivoted was his contract.

This was intentional. Belichick has shut down contract-related questions for decades, including some as recently as a few months ago on WEEI. He won’t even discuss player contracts, the details of which are all basically public knowledge.

Now, he’s eager to remind everyone he’s obligated to stay?

Foxboro, MA – Head Coach Bill Belichick on the field before the game at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Belichick also showed unusual vulnerability Monday in answering a question about possibly relinquishing his personnel control.

“Yeah, look, I’m for whatever, collectively, we decide as an organization is the best thing to help our football team,” he said.

That’s a first. One of the most powerful men in the NFL is open to ceding some of that power and declaring so publicly?

(Of course, the case for Belichick removing his general manager hat is an easy one even he might find persuasive. Just run down the team’s last 10 drafts, and three most recent free-agent classes.)

As for all other topics, though, Belichick played predictable defense.

He declined to provide any details on past or future meetings with Robert Kraft. He offered nothing on whether Kraft has indicated his job is at stake. Or if he would be open to coaching another team.

Seemingly, Belichick sat down with two prepared messages Monday. Combined, they said this: your move, Robert.

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The undertones of Belichick’s comments also suggest he’s not interested in a mutual parting of ways.

Everyone knows where Belichick stands now: he wants to stay put. If Belichick is eventually moved, the public will return to these comments and see his exit as Kraft’s doing; something that a perception-conscious Kraft, at age 82, on the precipice of the Pro Football of Fame and having already lost a breakup with Tom Brady, will certainly weigh.

Might the Krafts’ decision be drawn out? Does this indicate Belichick is against a trade? Could this get ugly, if Belichick has a no-trade clause in his contract and weaponizes it against an ownership group that wants him out but refuses to fire him?

Who knows. No one is more comfortable being uncomfortable than Belichick. He is disciplined, deliberate and dispassionate, especially in negotiations and when dealing with the media.

Which returns us to his apparent willingness to hand over personnel control. On the surface, that might sound like an olive branch and the simplest solution available to the Krafts: retain the greatest coach of all time and hand roster-building duties to someone else who can rejuvenate a roster that rotted on Belichick’s watch.

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Except his olive branch and this plan carry a few thorns. For starters, is it actionable? Is it truly realistic to expect Belichick to report to an executive who once reported to him?

And who would that be?

Would the Krafts trust current director of player personnel Matt Groh to be his own man? Groh learned at Belichick’s knee, came up in his front office and has happily shown deference during his time at the top. Not to mention, Groh’s resume as the department head is far from sparkling.

What about director of scouting Eliot Wolf? The 41-year-old spent most of his career in Green Bay, where his father, Pro Football Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf, resurrected the Packers and won a Super Bowl. Wolf is the only Patriots executive whose league experience has mostly come outside of New England, which could bolster his case as a different thinker capable of rebuilding the front office from within.

Might Dave Ziegler return? The ex-Raiders GM may be in no rush to find a new job, having been paid out the last three and a half years of a 5-year contract in Las Vegas, where he was unceremoniously fired midseason. He also could be wary of returning to New England, understanding that might cement his reputation as just another ex-Patriot coach or executive incapable of succeeding without Belichick.

New Patriots de facto general manager Dave Ziegler, right, stands with former director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort during a practice outside Gillette Stadium. (Courtesy of the New England Patriots/Eric J. Adler)

And if the Krafts don’t trust anyone within the family to serve as their new GM, can Belichick co-exist with an outsider who would implement a new scouting system, process and philosophy? And who would want that job, if Belichick might be gone next year? And how do they get along with Jerod Mayo, Belichick’s supposed successor?

All of these questions can only be answered behind closed doors, whenever and wherever Belichick meets with Robert and Jonathan Kraft. And yet, even then, as Belichick suggested Monday, that meeting just might spawn more meetings.

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Because how long is Belichick willing to fight or wait out the Krafts? The Falcons reportedly already have interest in hiring him. The Cowboys could, too, if they lose Sunday in the Wild Card round.

How long do the Krafts deliberate over Belichick’s fate? Mike Vrabel might spring free soon in Tennessee. Mayo could take calls on head-coaching jobs elsewhere and leave, with one year left on his contract.

After Belichick’s opening salvo Monday, this much is clear: the Patriots’ season may be over, but the games have just begun.