Stephen A. Smith Predicts Post-Patriots Landing Spot For Bill Belichick

Stephen A. Smith believes Bill Belichick’s days in New England are numbered, and he sees a logical landing spot for the longtime Patriots head coach in both conferences.

Belichick’s job security was the hottest topic of Patriots conversation heading into the franchise’s NFL International Series game in Frankfurt, Germany. And mere hours after team owner Robert Kraft publicly expressed disappointment about this season, New England didn’t show up against an average-at-best Indianapolis Colts team. The ugly 10-6 loss dropped the Patriots to 2-8, the organization’s worst mark through an opening 10-game stretch since Belichick’s first season at the helm in 2000.

A midseason removal of Belichick in Foxboro, Mass. doesn’t seem likely, but the same can’t be said for after the campaign. Smith, for one, believes the Patriots’ final seven games will be the end of Belichick’s New England tenure.

“I think it’s over,” Smith said Monday morning on ESPN’s “First Take.” “I think that ultimately Bill Belichick will be gone. I think he will be in either the nation’s capital or he’ll be coaching the Los Angeles Chargers. God knows they need a new head coach. There’s no question about that. It’s just the way that it goes. The reality is that this is a bad situation.”

The Commanders have generated some buzz as a potential next step for Belichick, who grew up a short drive from FedEx Field. Brandon Staley probably has enough time to save his job in LA, but Belichick might love the idea of working with a quarterback as talented as Justin Herbert.

There’s also the distinct possibility Belichick calls it a career whenever Kraft shows him the door. After all, the future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach turns 72 years old in April. But if Belichick wants to keep his nose to the grindstone after a New England exit, it will be fascinating to see what his market looks like.