NFL Network’s Sunday report on Bill Belichick’s contract, which runs through 2024, may be a message from the Patriots to anyone thinking about hiring him after the current season.
He won’t be fired. If you want him, you have to make a deal with us.
Now that the news is out, the question is whether one or more teams will now contact the Patriots in hopes of working out a deal with the Patriots and, in turn, a deal with Belichick. Basically the dominoes would be arranged before week 18. Then, after the regular season ends and the team in question fires its current coach and goes through the steps of a normal search, the first domino would be hurled.
Such an approach would violate various layers and layers of league rules, most notably the spirit, if not the letter, of the Rooney Rule. The team that lands Belichick will already have decided on him before they begin their search. However, as long as this team stays silent, there is a very good chance that nothing will come of this.
The team in question will interview various candidates, check all the necessary boxes, and, when the time is right, begin the process of negotiating something with the Patriots for Belichick (and the process of negotiating a deal with Belichick directly).
This assumes a team quietly negotiates a deal with the Patriots and Belichick before the end of the regular season. If that doesn’t happen, the Patriots will just have to bite the bullet and release him, hoping he makes enough with another team in 2024 to make up for everything they would owe him for the final year of his contract.
So which teams might consider Belichick? Rumors in league circles have linked the Commanders to Belichick. The Buccaneers are another possibility. The Chargers would have to be considered since they have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. And the Panthers are on the list simply because owner David Tepper is rich, desperate and driven enough to give it a try.
Other teams might be interested. With proper guardrails regarding his power over personnel and a top-notch quarterback, Belichick could thrive again. Possibly.
Even if he doesn’t, his presence would sell tickets and secure prime-time games and make an otherwise irrelevant team extremely relevant in 2024 and beyond. For many owners, that’s all that matters.