The New England Patriots suffered arguably their most embarrassing loss of the Bill Belichick era on Sunday, which only amplified the rumblings that the head coach may not be in his current position much longer. But would Patriots owner Robert Kraft ever fire Belichick?
Robert Kraft had to have been disgusted while watching his team’s incomprehensible game-losing blunder against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Patriots owner cannot have been pleased with New England’s offense to begin with, as Mac Jones has taken a big step back in his second year and been visibly frustrated with his coaches during games.
Kraft probably would not fire Belichick, especially after he essentially chose the coach over Tom Brady (whom Kraft has said he views as a son) a few years ago. If Kraft did decide a coaching change was in the best interest of his franchise, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculates that the Patriots might make the 70-year-old Belichick available via trade.
“Belichick surely wouldn’t be fired. Instead, word more likely would be circulated that Belichick is available to be hired away from the Patriots for fair compensation,” Florio wrote. “And, surely, another team would be willing to give it a whirl with Belichick.
Florio noted that Belichick would have to be willing to coach elsewhere in that scenario, but the longtime NFL insider feels things are “moving that way.”
New England’s defense has been plenty good this season. The offense is the issue, and firing Belichick may not be necessary to fix it. After Josh McDaniels left to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Belichick replaced the former offensive coordinator with Matt Patricia, who was a defensive assistant in New England from 2006-2017. That move has backfired.
Assuming Belichick wants to keep coaching, it seems more likely that Kraft will make him hire a real offensive coordinator. We know of one candidate who may have interest in the job.
More must-reads: