It’s over. As expected. It will become official later today, when Patriots owner Robert Kraft and 24-year head coach Bill Belichick meet with reporters.
Then what for Bill?
Unless the Patriots have negotiated an exit agreement that allows them to seek compensation from Belichick’s next team (not likely), Bill is a free agent. He can go wherever he wants. He can join forces with whoever he wishes to join forces with.
So where will he go? The Falcons reportedly are interested in Belichick. The bigger question is whether he’d be interested in the Falcons. Would he want to work with G.M. Terry Fontenot, or would Belichick prefer his own personnel executive? Also, would Belichick want to deal with CEO Rich McKay, who serves as owner Arthur Blank’s right-hand man in the enviable position of having influence over football operations with no accountability when football operations go bad.
I’ve been told (and stand by completely) that Commanders owner Josh Harris is enamored with the idea of Belichick coaching the team, but not necessarily running the operations. From Belichick’s perspective, there are attractive aspects of that job. It’s a team steeped in history. It’s close to his hometown of Annapolis, Maryland.
Still, there might be too many cooks in D.C. Harris already has mentioned that he’ll work with his limited partners in making decisions. How involved will the limited partners be in looking over Belichick’s shoulder? How many other people will be involved in managing Belichick? He won’t like that. He won’t want that. And that could keep any pursuit from ever getting off the ground, since the Commanders would essentially be wasting their time.
The Chargers have a quarterback. They also might have plenty of dysfunction lingering not too far beneath the surface.
As explained at halftime of the regular-season finale of Sunday Night Football, 14 teams are left. Inevitably, 13 of them will lose. One of them might decide, once the dust settles, that the team has great players — and that the team just needs a great coach. A coach like Belichick.
And he continues to be a GREAT coach. He can cook the meal. He just can’t shop for the groceries. In some cities (like Dallas), there’s a well-stocked kitchen.
For weeks, we’ve been hearing that, if the Cowboys sputter in the postseason, Mike McCarthy could be out and Belichick could be in. It’s not as crazy as it sounds, not after considering the praise Belichick repeatedly has heaped on Jerry and Stephen Jones.
Could Belichick work with the Joneses? Yes. Absolutely. Especially if Belichick wants to win another Super Bowl. Why bother to go to a team that needs to rebuild, when he can go to a team that is locked and loaded?
It might not only be the Cowboys. Look at the teams still in the hunt. Think about whether Belichick would be an upgrade over the current coach.
Then there’s the Chiefs. What if Andy Reid retires? Only one team has Patrick Mahomes. And Belichick with Mahomes could be every bit as potent as Belichick with Tom Brady.
So what’s next for Belichick? The easy answer is whatever Belichick wants. And if he wants to win sooner than later, he — and we — shouldn’t be looking at the teams that didn’t win enough in 2023 to make the playoffs.
