Recently, a rumor surfaced that the Washington Commanders could attempt to swing a trade with the New England Patriots for head coach Bill Belichick.
However, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington said that he spoke to a few people who told him that there is “no truth” to the Belichick chatter. He adds that it has not even been discussed.
Finlay also joined Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston and told him that this speculation was almost surely concocted by Patriots fans and not New England’s front office itself.
“I believe this is Patriots fan fiction,” Finlay said. “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.”
Belichick is now in his 24th season as head coach of the Pats and has led the franchise to six Super Bowl titles and nine Super Bowl appearances.
However, since Tom Brady left town in March 2020, the Patriots have struggled, making just one playoff appearance. They also appear to be on their way to posting a third losing season in four years, as they are currently 2-6 heading into Week 9.
This has led to conjecture that New England could potentially part ways with Belichick this offseason, but there has not been anything concrete behind that. It has merely been guesswork on the part of fans and media pundits who think the Pats may need to make a change.
The Patriots originally acquired Belichick in a trade with the New York Jets back in 2000. He has gone 300-158 overall in New England. Belichick is also the Pats’ general manager.
Washington is just 3-5 this season and could end up firing Ron Rivera, but it doesn’t seem like Bill Belichick will be walking through that door. Not anytime soon, anyway.
More must-reads: