Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk was the one who had the report that Josh Harris and the new Commanders ownership group was considering a trade this offseason to bring Bill Belichick to DC, which he told the Junkies on Friday wasn’t even information he was seeking out.
“I was looking to get my finger on the pulse of what was happening in advance of the trade deadline, and somebody just kind of blurted out, hey, keep an eye on this one,” Florio said. “Keep this as something that you should file away because there's a good chance that it could happen. It’s a procedure that is rarely used by NFL teams looking for head coaches, but under the rules, if you're looking for a coach, you can contact any other team that has a current head coach and say you’re interested, and ask what would the compensation be?”
Indeed, that is in the NFL bylaws, and to Florio, it could be a win-win for both teams, especially a New England franchise that has downturned a bit since Tom Brady’s departure.
“At a time when it feels like the Patriots are kind of done with Bill Belichick and it feels like it's moving that way, what a great way for the Patriots to pull off a situation where they move on,” Florio said. “They don't have any financial obligation and get something in return, and Washington brings in a guy that can be sold to the fan base as someone who can potentially turn this thing around once and for all. Whether or not he does is a different question, and whether or not it's something Josh Harris ultimately decides to do is a different question, but it is definitely something that people are keeping an eye on.”
So, does Florio have any indication Belichick would want to leave New England?
“The general consensus is that he's not ready to stop coaching, and I think he's a guy whose identity is so caught up in what he does, I don't think he would just wanna walk away,” Florio said. “It does take time for him to get things in place the way he wants them to be – a few years ago there was a suggestion he may want to go coach the Giants, and it was pointed out it would take five years for Belichick to get everything in place to what he wants, so why, at this point in his career, would he go somewhere else and have to start over?”
Florio thinks Belichick would like to catch Don Shula for the all-time wins mark, so if New England is at the end of the line, he would think about where he could make the biggest difference, so it’s still ‘something that should be monitored.’
Although, he did say this:
“I just don't think it's gonna work unless you have another quarterback who is great and who is inclined to submit to Bill Belichick,” Florio said. “I think the main reason Brady ultimately was willing to submit is because he was trying to prove himself as a guy who was taken so low in the draft, but it may be that what happened for that extended period of time in New England can never be replicated by Bill Belichick under any other circumstances, with any other team, unless he has another Tom Brady fall out of the sky and become willing to be the centerpiece of the Patriot way 2.0, where Bill's the general.”
Take a listen to Florio’s entire segment above, which also includes what Bill’s future would look like if he stays in New England, thoughts on Josh Harris’ potential housecleaning in DC, and more!