Could the Washington Commanders actually swing a trade with the New England Patriots to acquire Bill Belichick as their new head coach?
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pitched the possibility on Wednesday.
“What I heard over the weekend from someone I know, someone I trust, that made me say, ‘Whoa, that’s interesting,’ is the possibility that the end result for the Commanders is a trade with the Patriots for Bill Belichick,” Florio said on PFT Live with co-host Myles Simmons.
The Commanders are just 3-5 on the year and have not experienced a whole lot of success under current coach Ron Rivera, who has gone just 25-32-1 without a playoff appearance since taking the reins in 2020.
Florio adds that it’s entirely possible that this rumor come from the Patriots, which could be their way of letting rival clubs know that if they want Belichick as their next head coach, they are going to have to make a trade with New England to secure him.
“The other explanation for it is, it’s the Patriots getting out the idea, as owners throughout the league begin the process of figuring out who they want to hire next year, it’s a reminder: ‘You’re not just going to be able to go hire Bill Belichick. If you want him, you’ve got to deal with us,'” added Florio. “‘We have his contractual rights for multiple years. We’re not going to fire him. We’re going to wait for somebody to call us up and offer something for him. We’re going to get back what we gave the Jets to get him. We’re going to get value for this asset, even if we’re done with it.'”
Of course, the Patriots initially acquired Belichick in a trade with the New York Jets back in 2000 when they sent three draft picks (including a first-rounder) to the Jets in exchange for Belichick and two late-round picks.
There has been a lot of chatter about New England potentially moving on from Belichick this offseason, as the Pats are just 2-6 on the year and have labored ever since Tom Brady departed via free agency in March 2020.
Apparently, if the Patriots do, in fact, decide to part ways with Belichick, whoever wants him is going to have to surrender considerable assets for him.
Bill Belichick has won six Super Bowls throughout his 24-year tenure as New England’s head coach.
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