Bill Belichick is in the midst of an uncharacteristically poor season with the New England Patriots. After two decades of unprecedented success, the time for a transition could be coming.
After a loss to the Indianapolis Colts dropped the Patriots to 2-8, further speculation arose that not only could Belichick leave New England after the season but even coach elsewhere instead of retiring.
FS1’s Colin Cowherd broke down the potential for Belichick’s future, hypothesizing a destination with the Washington Commanders.
While other head coaching vacancies may eventually be open, Cowherd finds it hard to believe that Belichick would head west. His career has taken him through New England, Cleveland and New York after growing up in Maryland while his father worked for the Naval Academy. That history makes an East Coast team reasonable to believe.
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“That leads me to believe it would be Washington,” Cowherd said on “The Herd” on Wednesday. “He’s an East Coast guy.”
Despite all of the success with the Patriots, Cowherd believes that Belichick is no longer capable of building a franchise into a winner the way he once did in New England.
“I would guess Washington, I would not make the move,” Cowherd said.
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The coaching side of Belichick makes sense for a team to consider given his ability to game plan and win games. Washington has plenty of talent to win with from talented wide receivers such as Terry McLaurin and a decent quarterback in Sam Howell. Belichick knows that Washington can play after the Commanders defeated the Patriots in Foxboro earlier this month. It is the personnel side that leaves Cowherd wary of his future capabilities.
“On the surface, Washington has some nice skill players and Bill doesn’t draft those,” Cowherd explained. “They have what Bill can’t draft with weapons. But if Bill is your GM, he is an abject disaster. That’s being diplomatic.”
As a team that will need to continue to draft talent, Belichick’s recent struggles regarding the draft, particularly the 2022 class, offer one of his larger red flags as a coaching candidate, with only guard Cole Strange as a starter for the Patriots.
“They’re a year removed from this draft with one starter and nobody looks like they can play,” Cowherd added.
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Additionally, Cowherd further argued that surrounding himself with quality assistants could be difficult for Belichick, questioning if rising coaches would still want to work with the 71-year-old.
“What happened is Bill’s reputation has proceeded him,” Cowherd said. “The word is out from those who have left and gone on for greener pastures. He’s very difficult. He won’t listen to people. He takes over a draft and has no business doing it. Look at that staff right now. It’s weak. It’s people that aren’t viable on the market.”
For the time being, Belichick is still at the helm in New England and presumably will be through the end of this season. Past then, decisions and guesses will come regarding his future.
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As for the current season, Belichick looks to prepare the Patriots during the bye week for a Week 12 matchup with the New York Giants.
Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports Images
