Where did the Bill Belichick rumors about Washington commanders start?

Rumors of Bill Belichick in Washington were initially dismissed when Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio floated the idea of ​​the Patriots trading the head coach who brought them six Super Bowl wins. Reports emerged a month ago that, despite speculation that New England was ready to move on from Belichick, he had in fact signed a lucrative multi-year contract extension.

Mike Florio | Professional Football Discussion

Mike Florio said he “heard talk this weekend of chatter in league circles that at the end of the season the Commanders would trade with the Patriots to get Bill Belichick.” That’s where it’s going. I also heard separately that everyone was out once the season ended in Washington. Jason Wright, team president, absent. Martin Mayhew, Managing Director, absent. Head coach Ron Rivera, absent.

Florio then detailed how the potential between new Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and Patriots owner Robert Kraft would diminish. Official negotiations would take place at the highest levels and involve compensation from Washington to negotiate a new contract with Bill Belichick. Florio said the unofficial route would be between Belichick’s camp and a representative of the commanders to gauge interest and negotiate acceptable terms.

Robert Kraft seeks a quiet end to the greatest coaching run in team and NFL history, but one that fell apart after Tom Brady was forced out/walked out in free agency to win another Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. . A trade is the best way to save face for both sides and start fresh.

Albert Bréer | NBC Boston

Albert Breer has long been linked to the New England football scene and now writes the Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQB) for Sports Illustrated. He was asked about the possibility of Washington Commanders trading for Bill Belichick in an interview with NBC Boston. Breer talked about possible trade compensation and compared it to the Denver Broncos sending away the first-round pick they got in the trade for Bradley Chubb from the Miami Dolphins (No. 29) last year, and their second-round pick this year. Breer says he’s heard about the Commanders’ interest in Bill Belichick for over a year now, which would help remedy the situation when Dan Snyder announced he was exploring all options to sell the team. He said he’s heard about it more intensely over the past month, which would fit that timeline after the Bears embarrassed the commanders at FedEx Field on Thursday Night Football.

Breer shared four reasons why Washington’s commanders would be attracted to Bill Belichick.

1. It is widely believed that Belichick still wants to coach after this year.
2. Washington is a historic franchise.
3. The region is his home. Belichick is from Annapolis, MD, about 45 minutes from DC.
4. Josh Harris went to Harvard Business School with Robert Kraft’s son, Jonathan. There is a relationship between the two families. The Krafts were great champions of obtaining commanders. Their relationship could help determine draft compensation and give the Krafts and Belichick an ‘elegant solution’

“If you look back over the years, you can see new owners coming in and doing something like that to try to build credibility. Miami had Bill Parcells when Stephen Ross arrived, which gave Steve Ross some credibility. After Shad Khan had a rough few years, he brought back Tom Coughlin to restore some credibility to his ownership group. I think it would be the same here: if Harris hired Belichick, it would be a credibility play for the new Commanders owner.

Dianna Russini | Athleticism

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini shed more light on the Bill Belichick is out New England fire 10 days later:

Speculation continues to grow about the end of the Patriots’ partnership with Belichick. In speaking with those who have spent time within the Patriots organization and who understand the dynamic between team owner Robert Kraft and Belichick, I don’t expect anything to be determined with that much season remaining. But if the people I talk to had to bet, their bet is on a mutual separation at the end of the season.

Dan Orlovsky | Pat McAfee Show

Dan Orlovsky, former NFL QB and current ESPN analyst, came out of left field with Bill Belichick news on Tuesday’s Pat McAfee Show. He was asked about Dianni Russini’s report on a mutual split between New England and their Hall of Fame head coach. Orlovsky made it clear he was not a journalist, but said he had heard the same things coming from Foxboro. What Dan added to the story was that he had heard that where Bill Belichick was headed had already been determined. He was asked if it was the Los Angeles Chargers, but he wouldn’t elaborate on the new team or where he heard the bombshell.

Alber Breer | Dan Patrick Show

Albert Breer was back on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday, and he was asked about the Orlovsky “bombshell.” He said: “I don’t know if a destination has been determined. I would say though that the Washington stuff has been around for a while. This is something that has been talked about in NFL circles for longer than it has been made public. Breer repeated his history lesson about NFL owners bringing in older, established coaches to bolster their credibility. He also discussed the history between the Kraft and Harris families that dates back more than 30 years.

Breer also brings up the all-time record as an NFL head coach that Belichick is chasing. It is currently owned by Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula, but Belichick is 16 wins behind Shula, including the playoffs. He is 30 wins behind Shula in the regular season. Many expected Belichick to surpass Shula in total wins by the end of next season, but they have only won 2 games this year and may not win another if they trend downward continues. Committing to a coach who may have lost his edge for another two years to chase one of the real Goat records is not in the best interest of the Patriots.

Breer said the two teams that have been most linked to Bill Belichick have been Washington and Dallas. The Cowboys’ addition to the Belichick sweepstakes was a welcome addition to the rumor mill. Breer lists the similarities of the two franchises (NFC East, historic franchises, owners who really want to win), but they are obviously in different places in their NFL properties.

Betting Odds

There was a lot of whispers and speculation coming from across the league, followed by questions about the comments on those whispers. There’s been enough smoke for fans to take notice and for betting sites to consider the Washington Commanders as the most likely to be Bill Belichick’s next team. There are certainly connections between Josh Harris and Robert Kraft that can’t be ignored, but we’re a long way from anything solid connecting those dots.

You can scroll through the comments on the odds tweet above to see the reaction from fans online who immediately rejected the idea. Trading for a 71-year-old coach who is coming off his worst season doesn’t inspire confidence in this version of the timeline.

The Washington Commanders are entering a whole new era after a quarter-century of dysfunction under former owner Dan Snyder. Its last head coach was Ron Rivera, a respected 2x NFL Head Coach of the Year, who was hired to stabilize the organization. Rivera has had as much total control as possible under Snyder, but hasn’t produced a single winning season after more than 3 ¹⁄₂ years.

Bill Belichick was one of the inspirations for the coach-centric franchise model that Snyder said would save his NFL ownership, but he could also be the reason new owner-manager Josh Harris’ ownership falls flat after the first honeymoon year. The new ownership group made its presence known at the trade deadline, moving its two starting defensive ends who were set to become free agents next year. Accumulating future draft picks for the next GM seems like a good reason to move players around, but if those picks are used to introduce an improved version of your current quagmire, you’re simply shooting from an empty barrel waiting for the wave .