Several weeks ago I hosted a podcast where I said Bill Belichick would have plenty of interest in the head coaching market, if he were to leave the Patriots. Well, right now, that looks to be a massive swing and a miss.
Belichick sat down with one team, the Falcons, twice, and they just said thanks but no thanks. Only two teams remain looking for a head coach, and neither the Commanders nor the Seahawks have shown any interest in Belichick. With Bobby Slowik, Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson still available, it’s getting harder to imagine Belichick lands anywhere this offseason.
Now, there was at least one report that Belichick turned down other opportunities and that could lead you to believe that it was Belichick’s decision to limit the field. It’s hard to believe, however, that Belichick would voluntarily turn down an opportunity to see what an NFL owner was willing to give him during a sitdown.
What did Belichick have to do aside from interviews? Bon Jovi concerts? Lacrosse games off the DVR? Fishing down in Florida? He’s unemployed. He’s single and looking to mingle. I’d imagine being in that position would lead you to be open-minded about your next employer. Or, maybe not.
Maybe the stubborn Belichick that we got to know here in New England continues to be that same guy out in the marketplace. Maybe Belichick drew a hard line at personnel power. Would it shock anyone that Belichick would be disgusted, if/when at the suggestion he “collaborate” with an analytics staff and/or a GM?
Which makes you wonder: Did Belichick overplay his hand? Did he think he’d get exactly what he wanted when he shuffled out the door at Gillette? IF Robert Kraft was willing to let Belichick return as HC, but not HC/GM, does Belichick regret shutting down that idea, assuming that he’d just go out and get another gig with full autonomy?
Maybe it would have just been better to relent, give the reins to Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh, take more off the plate and have a sole focus on coaching. Have someone else shop for the groceries, beat Don Shula’s record and say then adios.
But, of course, IF Belichick had that option, he didn’t take it and now the greatest NFL Head Coach of all time might be staring down the barrel of a forced retirement. You think that’s hyperbolic? Well, if nobody is willing to give him what he wants months away from his 72nd birthday, why would they be willing to do it at 73? If Belichick were to return in 2025, he’d be the oldest head coach in NFL history surpassing ‘ole buddy Romeo Crennel.
Is there any single owner in the NFL that is going to dump bags of money, upwards of $20 million/year, to watch Bill coach on his 75th birthday? Let alone coach AND run the organization at that age after taking a year off from the game. Imagine turning over the entire organization for someone who might not be there beyond two years? It’d be irresponsible.
With great power comes great responsibility. IF Belichick doesn’t land on his feet this offseason, it certainly looks like his stranglehold on all things Patriots operations, not only led to his downfall in New England, but might end his career 15 wins shy of conquering Shula.
Red Sox Story Flying Under the Radar
The Red Sox ownership and Sam Kennedy continued to embarrass themselves at Winter Weekend. Shocker. But, while we were all paying attention to the payroll being slashed, Tom Werner’s latest laugh-out-loud explanation for saying “Full Throttle,” and confirming they’ve turned Fenway into a theme park instead of a ballpark, something else happened that was newsworthy.
Brayan Bello was on the InéditoElPodcast and said the following:
“Before the season started I told my agents that if the Red Sox made me a good extension offer, they should tell me. We talked after the season and they told me they had conversations but couldn’t get anything done, no talks since then.”
It’s certainly not time to hit the panic button just yet, since Bello won’t be arbitration-eligible until after 2025 and won’t hit free agency until after 2028. And, yes, this ownership group just got a Rafael Devers extension done last January. But do they deserve the benefit of the doubt? Would the Devers deal have even gotten done if the Sox didn’t lose Xander Bogaerts, after failing to sign him to an early extension? Was that as much a PR decision as a business decision?
Back to Bello. Talks of a possible extension surfaced in July, thanks to Jen McCaffrey catching up with Assistant GM Eddie Romero and asking him about the possibility. Here’s what Romero said at the time:
“It’s all case-by-case, there’s no guidebook for it, but I think Brayan is a special case and we’ll make efforts to talk to him and his group. He’s basically done what he needs to do and what we would want of a young starting pitcher in this organization and he’s gone about it the right way, he’s a great teammate and he’s improved the quality of his repertoire, he’s a very hard worker, and he’s earned the respect of everybody here so he’s the kind we want to stick around obviously.”
Here’s the thing: If the Sox are going to keep payroll down and preach about their development of young stars, they best sign those young stars to early extensions or else what are we actually doing here?