Getty Bill Belichick
Do you trust New England Patriots head coach and general manager Bill Belichick? If you’re an NFL agent, the answer to that question is probably no.
The Athletic’s Ben Standig revealed the results and quotes from the publication’s annual agent survey. Let’s just say the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick didn’t score well with the folks surveyed.
Standig asked NFL: “Among GMs or front-office leaders, whom do you trust the least?” Belichick was the second-least trusted trailing Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman by one vote.
What NFL Agents Had to Say About Dealing With Bill Belichick
Here are three very telling quotes from Standig’s piece. One NFL agent fell short of calling Belichick deceitful, but acknowledged they haven’t worked well together.
He said: “(He’s) not deceitful. We just haven’t had a good relationship. He fights hard for what he wants, and I do the same in the opposite direction.”
A second agent said: “They [the Patriots] always have a plan in place, and they know how they plan to use it. From a communication standpoint, they’re not an organization where you can have a conversation about what’s happening with your clients.”
A third agent added: “It’s not that he’s done anything wrong, but he’s team-first always, so everything is slanted their way all the time. Like, he shops for dudes who take that approach. He always had the franchise QB to get away with that.”
NFL agents have a dual purpose when dealing with NFL teams and front office people. The agent wants to get the best deal for their client which in turn, helps to fill their bank accounts. Belichick, like every other general manager in pro sports, is going to look out for what is in the best interest of his or her organization.
The third agent is right, though, because of the chemistry and excellence Belichick found with Tom Brady, he was enabled to run a system that might be slightly devoid of humanitarian qualities without much consequence.
That’s why the upcoming season is so important. Belichick has retooled. He has spent a boat load of cash on free agents to prove he’s capable of winning without Brady.
Some Players Have Had Issues With Belichick in the Past
In recent memory, players like Danny Amendola and Asante Samuel have voiced their displeasure for Belichick’s style of business. While some sing his praises, it is clear, The Hoodie doesn’t fit everyone.
N’Keal Harry’s agent formally asked for the Patriots to trade his client. Belichick didn’t budge or even acknowledge that he’d ever spoken to Harry’s agent. It was almost as if the trade request was beneath him.
It would be interesting to hear Cam Newton’s thoughts on Belichick considering he was just released last week. For months, Belichick told everyone Newton was his quarterback. Throughout training camp and all 3 preseason games, Newton took starter reps, but in the end, Belichick cut him.
Perhaps there were conversations that we don’t know about and those talks allowed the two men to come to an understanding. In any case, it is easy to see why there could be differing opinions about the future Hall-of-Famer.
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- N’Keal Harry Injury Update: Why WR Will Miss Start of the Season