New England Patriots head coach and general manager Bill Belichick might have just found himself an enticing trade partner.
The Arizona Cardinals hired former Patriots executive Monti Ossenfort as the organization’s new general manager. Ossenfort and Belichick have a well-established relationship with the former working in the Patriots organization for 15 seasons, including his final campaign reporting to Belichick as New England’s director of college scouting.
“It was an experience that really has shaped the foundation of who I am,” Ossenfort told reporters Wednesday during his introductory press conference in regards to his time with the Patriots, per the team. “To coach Belichick, every day going to work was a masterclass of how to build a football roster and how to build a winning organization.”
Sure sounds like someone Belichick wouldn’t have a problem calling, right?
Given that the Cardinals play in the NFC West and are somewhat out of sight, out of mind for the AFC East Patriots, one would think the two clubs would have no problem getting involved in business dealings. The Belichick-Ossenfort connection adds another dimension. After all, it’s not like trading within a division or conference where a deal could make a rival better.
Patriots fans almost certainly will correlate any trade 2023 speculation between the two clubs to be about wideout DeAndre Hopkins.
The Cardinals reportedly are planning to trade the former All-Pro receiver and the Patriots make plenty of sense as a potential landing spot. New England is split on whether or not to upgrade its receiver room, according to the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan, but if the Patriots opted to do so it would be via trade. Additionally, bookmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook have the Patriots with the second-best betting odds (+450) to land Hopkins behind only the Green Bay Packers (+350).
With the Cardinals targeting sustained success under Ossenfort, Hopkins won’t be the only player to fit the Patriots needs in the near future. But perhaps it serves as some comfort for Belichick to know another former understudy is just a phone call away.
