Color me colossally disappointed by the Dynasty docuseries. Too much was left out, and while Bill Belichick doesn't want or need our sympathy - the man owns half of Nantucket and has more rings than Elizabeth Taylor** - and surely wasn't very forthcoming when the creators were playing villainous music over him, they're doing their best to color your perception of him.
Guess who else thought this was a hit job? Former players Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison. McCourty said he felt "duped" by the project, and Harrison stopped watching, not even making it through the second episode.
"I watched, and I was just like, man, the only things I said that could come across as negative to Bill were the only things (used)," said McCourty. "Like, I mean, I had different kinds of quick sentences on things, but the longest thing I talked about was 2016 with Trump and the letter (Bill Belichick sent supporting his candidacy for president). And I thought that was probably the worst part. That everything that we all gave to the 20 years that it encompassed, they only hit anything that was negative."
"It just seemed so Tom-and-Bill-centric," Harrison said. "And (owner Robert) Kraft. I didn't enjoy it. I stopped. Because it didn't tell the stories. ... It was centered around some things that I wasn't really feeling. ... I mean, I interviewed for five or six hours I was in New York, and all they had me saying was, '[Expletive] 'em all. (Expletive) 'em all.'"
Both players, who are definitely Belichick loyalists but also haven't twisted themselves into pretzels to defend some of his indefensible moves, point to the overall body of work and wonder why there couldn't have been more balance in the project, as they were led to believe.
"Bill was a hell of a coach," said Harrison. "They act like the last three or four years, because the Patriots struggled, that Bill can't coach. You give me one game, and you give me Bill's Xs and Os, I'll take him over anybody. . . I just didn't like the way that he was made out. ... I just don't think he got enough credit, enough respect, enough props. Man, this dude is the greatest coach of all time."
"Bill was a big reason we helped a guy get released from prison after 28 years (William Allen)," McCourty said. "He was one of the first people after I read and told everybody about this story raise his hand and he said, 'How do we help?' He said, 'I'm willing to sign my name on a letter that goes to the governor.' And you know the impact of Bill Belichick's name on anything in Massachusetts.
"And I thought that showed so much growth and change of how he saw things outside of football compared to years before. And it was just like, 'Well, that makes him look good, so we're not gonna include that."
As McCourty later noted, it wasn't as if players didn't want to come to New England or those (mostly) here didn't want to stay.
"Hey, we won at a high level," he said. "Guys stayed there. Like, I could have left two times. I signed back. There's reasons why."
No doubt Tom Brady was a central selling point in a high retention rate, but there was also the knowledge that - for most of those first two decades - Belichick helped put the team in the best position to succeed (there are exceptions: Eagles Super Bowl, 2006 season with no good receivers, Patricia/Judge running the offense). Unfortunately, this project tried to whitewash much of that. Again, no tears are needed for Belichick, but this project was essentially a swing and a miss, at least to me (and McCourty and Harrison).
(**editor's note: I tried to come up with a more modern celeb, but my goodness, the woman was married eight times and divorced seven. That's gotta be some sort of record).
THE PRICES KEEP GOING UP AND UP
Jerry Jeudy, a man whose resume doesn't boast one 1,000-yard season, got how much money from the Browns? Try $58 million over three years, with $41 million guaranteed. More reporting is needed to determine whether those numbers include his already guaranteed 5th-year option ($13 million). That would make it more palatable for the route technician who has yet to live up to the pre-draft hype (his college tape at Alabama was fun).
Considering how little it cost to pry Jeudy from Denver, I wondered if the Pats were serious in their pursuit. Yes, I'm told they did make calls to Broncos GM George Paton, but a league source said their interest never led to a firm offer. There are some off-the-field question marks about Jeudy, including concerns about maturity and one domestic violence arrest in his past.
Jeudy's new deal led me to San Francisco wideout Brandon Aiyuk, who has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate this offseason. Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is set to make a skosh over $14 million. The 49ers would love to keep him, but they have some cap concerns.
"The more good players you get, the tougher decisions you have," said GM John Lynch after the season. "Brandon's been a fantastic player for us. Kyle (Shanahan) calls him a warrior all the time because of the way he goes out and competes. That shines through ... You can see the passion that he plays with."
Aiyuk's girlfriend and a close friend spoke openly post-Super Bowl about the former first-rounder either potentially having played his last game in SF (advice to all pro athletes - stay off the internet and tell your people to stay off the internet). Aiyuk himself has said very little, "If that's the right move, yeah," he said after losing to Kansas City. What would the right move look like? "Being a champion."
I'm not sure that makes sense, but oh well, here we are. I asked around the league about what it might take to pry Aiyuk from the 49ers, and the consensus was a first-rounder. Even then, they might say no. Plus, don't forget that you'll have to pay him. Spotrac estimates his value at $24 million per season. Others I've talked to believe that's light, and Aiyuk could be looking at $28 or so million annually.
"He is an elite wide receiver," one assistant GM told me. "Tough, smart, fast. A big game guy. They'd be better served letting him play out the year and trying to win the damn thing than move on from him."
A head of pro personnel for a team that faced Aiyuk this year believes that if the 49ers had their pick, it wouldn't be Aiyuk that they moved.
"If they could find a taker for Deebo (Samuel), he'd be the one they'd trade. He's older and struggles to stay healthy, and if you look at this draft, there are players who could be employed similarly but be a lot cheaper.
"And besides, I would not part with a player of Aiyuk's skill level. He may not be (Justin) Jefferson or (Ja'Marr) Chase, but he's a top 7 or 8 player at the position."
(One problem with that: Samuel would account for over $21 million in dead cap should SF trade him before June 1st)
Aiyuk makes sense for a team that thinks it's one weapon away from making a legit championship push or working with a quarterback on a rookie deal - think of what Miami did acquiring Tyreek Hill. In New England, while Aiyuk would immediately become the organization's best offensive player - and maybe best, period - it feels too rich at this juncture of a rebuild (which is to say, step one). You certainly wouldn't give up the #3 pick, meaning you'd have to trade back to acquire that extra first-rounder or combine multiple selections from this and/or next year's draft to move up from #34. For a front office that wants to draft and develop to build up a roster with more holes than your favorite pair of sweats, it's too soon to be so bold. I'd also put Tee Higgins into this conversation (though he's not as good as Aiyuk).
The only other option I could foresee would be a 2025 first-rounder. Again, considering where this roster is, is that wise? It could be a top-10 pick. Would you feel good about taking that risk? Better yet, would Wolf and ownership? We don't know about the man in charge of football operations - at least not yet. But that kind of dice roll could be career suicide if Aiyuk and the combo of Brissett/Zappe/rookie QB can't immediately elevate you to a mid-tier team.
Of course, this could be moot if the price drops and that one becomes a future 2 or a combo of day two and three picks over the next two seasons. Again, seems unlikely. Consider the Tyreek Hill trade. The Dolphins surrendered five picks: a 2022 first-round pick (No. 29), second-round pick (No. 50), fourth-round pick, and fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2023 draft. Or. A.J. Brown, who went for a first (#18) and fourth (#101). In 2020, Stefon Diggs was moved for a 2020 first-round pick (No. 22 overall), a fifth-round pick, a sixth-round pick and a 2021 fourth-rounder.
CHAMPIONSHIP OR BUST
The New York Jets, who haven't played in a Super Bowl since Joe Willie Namath, have pushed all the chips to the middle of the table. After a quiet start to free agency, GM Joe Douglas inked the best left tackle on the market, Tyron Smith, wide receiver Mike Williams, and may wrap up edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney before the weekend is over.
This isn't just about making Aaron Rodgers happy. It is now about Douglas's job and that of head coach Robert Saleh. They surrendered all control of the organization when they brought Rodgers in and signed his buddies (anybody want Allen Lazard?). This is a continuation of that movement, albeit none of these guys are former Green Bay Packers. There is no regard for the future - don't be surprised if the Jets try and move up from #10 overall. If it results in a title, it will all be worth it. However, serious risk is involved in signing the oft-injured Smith, Williams, who is coming off an ACL in week three of 2023, and Clowney, who practices less than Smith. And let's not forget Rodgers played just four snaps before his Achilles tore. He's now 40 years old.
On the flip side, Smith was excellent when he played last year. In 85% of his snaps, the Cowboys left him one-on-one with a defender—no chip help. Nothing. He allowed pressure on just 7% of those snaps, the best in the league in that category (per Next Gen Stats). So, a massive area of need could be solved, at least in the short term.
Douglas and Saleh better hope they have enough Geritol and duct tape to keep this crew together, or they'll need to update their resumes.
THE WHY OF WHAT THE CHARGERS DID
Earlier this week, I wondered what Justin Herbert must be thinking after seeing Williams, Austin Ekeler, and Keenan Allen either get cut, leave via free agency, or trade. That's 219 receptions, 2,339 yards, and 12 TDs gone, leaving little, especially in that wide receiver room.
The Allen swap to Chicago for a fourth-round pick was especially head-scratching. LA had already saved money in multiple spots, including restructuring Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. As it turns out, the Chargers tried to get Allen to remain, and he told them to go pound sand.
"With Keenan, we approached multiple different options with him, and just none of them worked out, and we had an offer for him the day we traded him," said GM Joe Hortiz, adding, "We kind of went down every path, and in the end, this was the one that fit us best and fit him best."
Allen, coming off a career-high 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven TDs, showed up at USC Wednesday to watch Caleb Williams' pro day. Williams is considered nearly a stone-cold lock to be the first overall pick in the draft to...the Chicago Bears.
