Bill Belichick Trade? Mike Florio Reveals Spicy New Patriots Rumor

Will Bill Belichick receive a firsthand look at his next team Sunday when the New England Patriots host the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium?

That’s one theory making the rounds, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who on Wednesday floated a spicy rumor regarding the Patriots’ longtime head coach.

“I heard something over the weekend, and I’ve been trying to think of the best way and the best time to talk about it. And it’s not a ‘report,’ ” Florio said on “PFT Live.” “Look, when you’re plugged into everything that’s happening, and talk to a lot of different people, you hear things. And you hear certain things that make you say, ‘Whoa, hmm, that’s interesting.’ And what I heard over the weekend from someone I know and someone I trust that made me say, ‘Whoa, that’s interesting’ is the possibility that the end result for the Commanders is a trade with the Patriots for Bill Belichick.”

New England’s 2023 struggles are well documented, with the Patriots sitting at 2-6 and in last place in the AFC East ahead of their Week 9 matchup with the Commanders. Washington, likewise, is staring at a lost season, with a 3-5 record that has the Commanders behind the Philadelphia Eagles (7-1) and Dallas Cowboys (5-2) in the NFC East.

The Commanders already started making changes this week when they traded pass rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young to the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, respectively. And head coach Ron Rivera certainly looks like a sitting duck in the nation’s capital.

Is it all building toward a pursuit of Belichick? A recent report stated Belichick signed a new multiyear contract extension with the Patriots before the season, but perhaps that leak actually plays into the rumor Florio heard.

“And it makes sense when you think about it. And it puts in a new context that leak, that strange Sunday morning splash report about Bill Belichick in the offseason signed a lucrative multiyear contract with the Patriots,” Florio said Wednesday. “My first thought was, ‘That’s Belichick’s camp getting out the idea that this guy isn’t going to be fired during the season.’

“The other explanation for it is, it’s the Patriots getting out the idea as owners throughout the league begin the process of figuring out who they want to hire next year. It’s a reminder, ‘You’re not just going to be able to go hire Bill Belichick. If you want him, you’ve got to deal with us. We have his contractual rights for multiple years. We’re not going to fire him. We’re going to wait for somebody to call us up and offer us something for him. We’re going to get back what we gave the Jets to get him. We’re going to get value for this asset, even if we are done with it, we’re not just going to roll it out to the curb. We’re going to make you knock on the door and buy it from us.’ “

The Patriots sure could benefit from a new voice, despite Belichick’s unprecedented success with the franchise. Yes, New England won six Super Bowl titles with Belichick at the helm. But it’s clear, now in their fourth season since Tom Brady’s departure, the Patriots have a lot of ground to cover before they once again can be considered legitimate contenders.

The widespread assumption long has been that Belichick would ride off into the sunset whenever he leaves New England. After all, he’s 71 years old with nothing left to prove. Maybe he still has the drive to coach, though, in which case a trade is a fascinating possibility.

Florio even wondered if Belichick could link back up with former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was just fired as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

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“And when you throw in (Tuesday’s) developments, one, the Commanders clearly in, ‘We’re preparing for the future without our current key employees’ mode. And two, Josh McDaniels is available again,” Florio said. “All the more reason to go get Bill, because you can bring Josh McDaniels in as the offensive coordinator because nobody’s going to hire him to be a head coach next year. The band’s back together, we’re off to Washington and here we go with Belichick and McDaniels. Hell, maybe they’ll bring back Matt Patricia and off, they go with the Patriot Way.”

All told, Florio added a notable disclaimer along with his juicy speculation.

“That’s what I heard. It’s not a report,” Florio said. “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, there’s at least one interesting layer in an otherwise uninteresting Week 9 matchup between two lousy teams in Foxboro.