Despite recent chatter about Bill Belichick being on the hot seat, it still seems unlikely that Patriots owner Robert Kraft would fire his six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach unless the 2023 season turns into a total disaster.
But what about trading him and getting some real value in return? We have no idea if Kraft would be open to it, but a poll posted by The Greg Hill Show on Friday suggests that New England fans would be if the price is right.
The show’s Twitter poll was simple: Would you trade Belichick for multiple first-round picks? The results were fairly overwhelming: After nearly 1,400 votes as of 10:30 a.m., 63.3% said yes while 36.7% turned down the hypothetical deal.
“They acquired Bill Belichick via trade, so maybe they could exit the relationship via trade,” Chris Curtis said as the show reacted to the poll results (listen to the segment below). “[Producer] Jackson put up a poll: Would you trade Bill Belichick for multiple first-round picks? Which is what I think it would take for Bill. At this stage, I still think he’s a top-five coach in the NFL, maybe the best depending on who you talk to. … I think if we did this a year ago, it would probably be about 10%.”
Co-host Courtney Cox pointed out why the fanbase’s attitude may be shifting.
“That’s not surprising because of the recent poll we did on who do you blame [for not getting DeAndre Hopkins]: Belichick or Kraft,” she said. “Belichick ran away with that poll. That’s where people’s minds are at right now, is that the reason we lost DeAndre Hopkins, the reason we maybe didn’t get Lamar Jackson, is all on Belichick.”
Going four years without a playoff win and last season's disastrous Matt Patricia/Joe Judge offensive experiment doesn't help, either.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that any team would be willing to give up multiple first-round picks for a 71-year-old Belichick even if Kraft was willing to execute such a move. But if a deal like that was out there to be made, it appears more fans would support it than oppose it.
