Commanders insider reacts to wild rumor about Patriots HC Bill Belichick

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk raised eyebrows throughout the NFL community on Wednesday when he suggested that the Washington Commanders could attempt to trade for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick this coming offseason. 

Commanders insider JP Finlay of NBC Washington quickly poured cold water over that rumor via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and then offered more information during an appearance on "The Next Pats Podcast." 

"I believe this is Patriots fan fiction," Finlay explained, according to Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston. "Because I don't think anybody up there thinks they should get rid of Bill, because of everything he's accomplished. But this is your out. If somebody trades for Bill and it helps the organization, and Bill wants to go, and I know he grew up in Annapolis and I know he belongs to some nice golf courses here in the D.C. area. This lets Pats fans feel happy about starting their next chapter."

Patriots owner Robert Kraft allegedly had Belichick on the hot seat before New England started the season at 2-6. Meanwhile, the Commanders' new ownership group blew things up ahead of the trade deadline by parting ways with defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young. Nevertheless, Finlay insisted he doesn't "see" Washington trading for Belichick this winter. 

"Here's why it's not going to happen," Finlay said. "It would be completely opposite of how (Commanders owner) Josh Harris has run his other sports teams, where he hires a football boss and lets him make the decisions...They are about building and analytics and I imagine the trends in the NFL are young offensive guys."

Belichick turns 72 years old in April 2024. 

It's somewhat humorous considering when Florio floated the initial rumor that the Patriots host the 3-5 Commanders this coming Sunday. As of Thursday afternoon, OddsChecker listed New England as a three-point favorite for that matchup that seemingly won't be any kind of "Belichick Bowl" involving his current club and his future employer.