Bill Belichick’s future with the New England Patriots remains a hot-button topic. The organization trading Belichick is one possibility, but not one the head coach reportedly wants.
According to Cowboys Country’s Mike Fisher, Belichick “very specifically does not want to be traded” because doing so would cost his new team draft picks. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s opposed to ending his long tenure in Foxborough.
“So the coach, if he’s going to leave New England, would actually prefer to get canned,” Fisher wrote Saturday.
As a six-time Super Bowl champion with 300 career regular-season wins, Belichick’s track record could make him valuable enough for New England to trade. The 71-year-old also reportedly agreed to an extension before the season started, so the Patriots would retain his contractual rights beyond 2023 if he retired.
Yet his stock might be tumbling during a disastrous season. New England fell to 2-8 following Sunday’s 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.
Belichick is two losses away from securing his worst season since 2000. The Patriots have now gone 27-33 since Tom Brady’s departure.
Before Sunday’s loss, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Patriots owner Robert Kraft is “not inclined” to trade Belichick during the season. He brought up the organization possibly seeking compensation this offseason with the idea of replacing him internally.
The Patriots have a Week 10 bye to regroup before facing the New York Giants in a lowly matchup with huge draft implications.