The New England Patriots’ miserable season has people wondering about life after Bill Belichick and just when that time might be coming.
While there has been plenty of talk about whether the Patriots owner Robert Kraft will dismiss or retain the six-time Super Bowl champion, Jeff Howe at The Athletic delved into a third option on Thursday: a trade.
Of course, a trade needs two sides to come together, so that would require another NFL team believing in Belichick despite him missing the playoffs in three of four seasons without Tom Brady.
Howe threw out two franchises that might fit that criteria, the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders.
“It’s fair to be skeptical an owner would trade for Belichick if it’s apparent he’d ultimately be fired, but consider this plausible scenario. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, who already has an opening after firing Frank Reich, could get the ball rolling on the process. And then Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris could be eying a splashy first hire to sell tickets to his new fans.
“If both want Belichick badly enough — and Belichick is OK with joining either organization — a trade might make the difference in their pursuit.”
Trade Bill Belichick?
After speaking with people around the league, let’s lay out why some believe the Patriots could move him for a first-round pick, while others didn’t view this as a likely option at all.
Much more on a complicated question⤵️ https://t.co/CPrKtPlERw
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) December 7, 2023
As Howe mentions, the Panthers already fired Frank Reich, and there’s talk that the Commanders will do the same to Ron Rivera when the season ends.
This week, Pro Football Talk ran an informal X/Twitter poll asking people if they would like to see Belichick be hired as head coach of their favorite team this offseason.
Over 25,000 people voted, with 72.9% of respondents saying no. It’s quite possible all 31 NFL franchises feel the same way, which would eliminate a trade possibility.
The Patriots (2-10) will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:15 p.m. ET tonight on Amazon Prime Video.