Commanders Insider Shoots Down Bill Belichick-Washington Rumors

Bill Belichick superfans should hold off on buying Commanders jerseys -- at least for now.

On Wednesday, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio said he'd heard chatter about Washington potentially preparing to pursue an offseason trade for Belichick. He provided his typical Florio-style disclaimer by pumping the brakes on his own reporting, but the rumor was nonetheless juicy.

"That's what I heard. It's not a report," Florio said of a Belichick-Commanders trade. "But it's definitely something that is making its way around the grapevine that is the National Football League network of insiders and employees and coaches and others who talk about stuff. That's something they're talking about."

Well, Florio's report quickly was refuted by NBC Sports Washington's JP Finlay.

"Checked in with a few people and there's 'no truth' to the future Belichick and Washington speculation that's been thrown around," Finlay wrote on the X platform. "Has not been discussed."

The Belichick speculation arrives amid rising calls for the Patriots to part ways with the legendary head coach during the offseason. Be it by firing, trading or forcing the 71-year-old into retirement/resignation, New England never has appeared closer to moving on from the architect of its six Super Bowl titles.

And Belichick's reported contract restructuring won't prevent team owner Robert Kraft from making a difficult decision.

Could that decision include trading Belichick to the United States capital? It seems unlikely, but everything should be on the table for a franchise that's slipped into near-irrelevance.

Belichick will get a close look at his potential future employer this Sunday when the 2-6 Patriots host the 3-5 Commanders at Gillette Stadium.