If the New England Patriots are going to part ways with Bill Belichick, Belichick is going to have a whole lot of say in how the process is handled.
According to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, Belichick does not want to leave New England and is under contract for at least $25 million next season. That would mean that if owner Robert Kraft wants to fire Belichick, he will have to pay a hefty sum of money to do so.
So, essentially, if Kraft wants to move on from Belichick, he will have to trade him, and in that scenario, Belichick could pull a lot of strings…including how much the team trading for him will send back to the Patriots.
In a scenario where the Pats do trade Belichick, they likely will not be getting a first-round draft pick in return like the New York Jets did when the Patriots initially acquired Belichick in 2000.
Regardless of how much New England wants to cut ties with Belichick, it is going to be very difficult for Kraft and Co. to actually do so.
The Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys have already been mentioned as potential destinations for Belichick in 2024, as the Chargers just fired Brandon Staley and Jerry Jones’ Cowboys may ultimately run out of patience with Mike McCarthy if the team fails to do much damage in the playoffs again.
Belichick is now in his 24th season as head coach of the Pats and has carved out the most illustrious legacy of any coach in NFL history.
The 71-year-old has led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships and nine Super Bowl appearances. He has also guided the franchise to 17 AFC East division titles, including 11 straight between 2009 and 2019. He has gone 295-131, including playoffs.
However, since Tom Brady departed via free agency in March 2020, Belichick and the Patriots have fallen on hard times, making just one trip to the postseason since. They have gone just 28-36 during that span.
Bill Belichick’s club is 3-11 through the first 14 games of this season.
New England will head on the road to battle the Denver Broncos this Sunday.
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