Could Bill Belichick coach the team at Gillette Stadium this Sunday?
The idea of Belichick leaving New England is getting less and less as the Patriots enter Week 8 at 2-6 in the AFC. If the Patriots miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons since Tom Brady was fired, owner Robert Kraft may have to make a tough decision to move on from the legendary head coach, despite already signing a new contract with New England. During the year.
But where could Belichick and the Patriots part ways after this season — and how could he get there? Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio relayed an eye-opening opportunity he heard on Wednesday’s episode. PFT Live With co-host Myles Simmons: Belichick trades Patriots to Washington Chiefs.
“I heard over the weekend from someone I know, someone I trust, that made me say, ‘Wow, that’s interesting,'” Florio said, adding that the final outcome of the Chiefs could be a trade with the Patriots for Bill Belichick.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on October 22 that Belichick had signed a “potential multi-year new contract” with the Patriots last offseason, and many speculated that the report came from Belichick’s camp as a reminder to those inside and outside the building. Despite the team’s poor record, he’s not going anywhere.
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But Florio believes the leak may have come from the Patriots side. From Florio:
“The other explanation is that the Patriots are putting out the idea that, as owners around the league begin the process of figuring out who they want to hire next year, it’s a reminder: ‘You can’t do it.’ Hire Bill Belichick. If you want it, you should contact us. We have the right to contract for several years. We will not fire him. We’ll wait for someone to call us and offer them something.
In the year In a 2000 trade, Kraft acquired Belichick from the Jets, sending New England’s first-round pick in 2000 and his fourth and seventh-round picks to New York in 2001 for Belichick, the Jets’ fifth-round pick. And the seventh round in 2002.
Belichick is supposedly under contract through the 2024 season, so if the Krafts want to part ways with him after this season, it’s worth exploring a trade for a long-term head coach rather than firing Belichick and getting nothing in return.
Why might Washington be reasonable? Ron Rivera has the worst record since 2020 among NFL head coaches hired before or during that season (Belichick is second), and managers Chase Young and Montez Labb could be fired after being traded at the NFL trade deadline. Washington is a historic franchise that could attract Belichick, and new team owner Josh Harris may be willing to clean house and give Belichick both the head coaching and staff jobs — allowing Belichick to bring in an old friend as offensive coordinator.
“Josh McDaniel is back (after being fired by the Las Vegas Raiders),” Florio said. “All the more reason (for Washington) to get Bill, because they can bring in Josh McDaniel as an offensive coordinator — because next year nobody’s going to hire him as a head coach. The team’s back together, we’re going to Washington, and here we go with Belichick and McDaniel.”
The Patriots host the Chiefs this Sunday at 1 p.m., and Florio’s theory adds more intrigue to an otherwise uninspiring matchup.