Getty Bill Belichick joining one particular NFC South franchise would be "ironic" for the New England Patriots.
Bill Belichick, should he stay or should he go? Apparently, it’s not up to him, and the New England Patriots have already decided to move on from the six-time Super Bowl-winnig head coach. If so, Belichick could make an “ironic” switch to NFC South franchise the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs are a landing spot for Belichick people shouldn’t “sleep on,” according to CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan. He referenced the Bucs having already given one “Patriots icon” a fresh start, namely quarterback Tom Brady leaving New England for Raymond James Stadium in 2020 and promptly winning a Super Bowl.
Belichick, by contrast, hasn’t gotten near another Lombardi Trophy since Brady left town. Instead, the 71-year-old is facing increasing questions about his competence and ability to win without a franchise quarterback.
Those questions are damaging Belichick’s legacy, but Sullivan outlined three reasons why the Buccaneers would offer the coach a good chance to return to his title-laden ways.
Buccaneers Have the Right Framework for Bill Belichick
As Sullivan pointed out, “there is familiarity with the Buccaneers front office as GM Jason Licht had two different tenures under Belichick with the Patriots, including a period from 2009 to 2011 when he was the director of player personnel. With that prior working relationship in mind, there could be a collaborative approach to roster building with Belichick and Licht in his hypothetical partnership.”
Belichick’s decisions as the front-office chief for the Patriots have come under increasing scrutiny in recent seasons. Ill-fated moves like signing wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency and selecting Mac Jones 15th overall in the 2021 NFL draft don’t reflect well on Belichick’s personnel skills.
Working with a familiar face like Bucs’ general manager Jason Licht would allow Belichick to leave personnel matters to somebody he trusts. The coach would then be freed up to do what he does best, design gameplans and prepare his team to play smart, efficient football.
Belichick would still need some fresh talent added to the roster, but he may be content to roll with quarterback Baker Mayfield: “Tampa Bay still has some pieces from its Super Bowl-winning squad of a few years ago and will have over $60 million in cap space to make improvements this offseason. Baker Mayfield is a quarterback the Patriots reportedly liked coming out of the 2018 NFL Draft, so even the situation under center could be appealing to Belichick.”
Mayfield hasn’t posted eye-popping numbers this season, but he’s delivered in clutch moments. Like for the game-winning touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14.
Made the play when it mattered most.
Money to spend and a proven veteran already in place at football’s most important position would give Belichick the platform he needs to succeed. So would playing in a weak division.
Belichick and Brady feasted on a below-par AFC East for the best part of two decades, so the South should be an appealing destination: “And if you’re talking about stacking up wins, the NFC South is one of the least competitive divisions in the NFL. If Belichick can turn the Bucs into the class of that division, he’s arguably looking at six wins out of the gate, which helps in his chase of Shula.”
Accruing wins in bunches is on Belichick’s to-do list as he tries to chase down Don Shula for the record for all-time wins among head coaches. He’s 16 victories short of overtaking Shula, but Belichick still belongs in rare company thanks to 301 regular-season wins.
It looked like this wasn’t going to happen today.
But Bill Belichick has joined Hall of Famers Don Shula and George Halas as the only head coaches in NFL history with 300 wins in the regular season.
The pursuit of history seems certain to continue away from Gillette Stadium.
Patriots Have Already Decided to Dump Bill Belichick: Report
Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft has already decided it’s time for a change. That’s according to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran: “When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week, made it very clear that a decision was made and they were going to play out the string and at the end of the year there would be a parting of the ways.”
If Belichick’s fate has already been decided, this seems like the optimum moment for both parties to separate. The Patriots need fresh thinking, particularly on offense, where poor signings and suspect coaching have made the unit a perennial weak link post-Brady.
Jones’ time as the starter is over, but Bailey Zappe isn’t the long-term answer. A new quarterback should get the opportunity to be tutored by a different coach, preferably one with a mindset suited to designing an expansive offense.
Belichick would soon reset himself in Tampa, leaving the Pats to build something entirely new.