The New England Patriots are reportedly exploring the option of trading head coach Bill Belichick following the 2023 season. Tom Curran with NBC Sports reported last week the Patriots are set to move on from Belichick after Week 18.
One would assume the Patriots would have to fire Belichick to “part ways” with him. However, a recent report from the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has Curran thinking the Patriots could attempt to trade the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach.
Rapoport wrote that the Patriots could take a while after the season concludes for Robert Kraft to decide on what he plans to do with Belichick.
The New England Patriots could set up a “bidding war”
Curran took that to mean Kraft could start a “bidding war” among coach-needy teams for Belichick. The Patriots could recover the best compensation for their prized coach. That’s the only logical explanation for why Kraft would delay hiring a new coach when the next regime has a draft with the No. 2 pick on the table.
Curran thinks waiting too long after the season for the bidding war would be a mistake. While Kraft might want to get something in return for Belichick, he could set up the next regime for a worse outcome in 2024 by delaying their operations.
There’s also no reason to think Belichick wants to be traded. He’s set to make nearly $20 million as the head coach of a team he brought to prominence. Kraft will likely have to decide to either fire Belichick or retain him for the 2024 season.
In the same offseason, the Patriots are expected to take a rookie quarterback in what would be Belichick’s final year under contract.
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