Bill Simmons Floats Wild Patriots-Falcons Bill Belichick Trade Idea

Bill Simmons is a pretty smart dude who has made his career on hot sports takes, and he’s a very big Patriots fan. But not even he can believe this one, can he?

The Ringer chief and famed sports podcaster put forth a wild trade proposal Tuesday when he predicted how the entire Bill Belichick saga would play out with New England.

Simmons highlighted Belichick’s Monday press conference where the Patriots coach pointed out he is still under contract. So, if New England wants to move on from Belichick, it’s either going to have to fire him and pay him the remaining money on his contract or find a team that’s willing to give the Patriots compensation.

“This leads me to think the Falcons are going to be granted permission to talk to Bill Belichick,” Simmons said Tuesday morning in a YouTube short he posted to X. “(The Patriots will say) ‘Sure, we’ll give you permission. Go talk to them.’ They have the eighth pick in the draft. The Patriots’ second-round pick is No. 35. I think this leads to the Patriots release Belichick from his contract, the Falcons give them the eighth pick, the Patriots give them Belichick and No. 35, which would give the Patriots the third and the eighth picks in the draft. Everybody’s happy.”

A prediction for what happens to Belichick in 2024https://t.co/kJygjrZHNJ

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 9, 2024

So, to recap, here’s what Simmons thinks will happen:

Atlanta receives: Belichick, No. 35 pick
New England receives: No. 8 pick

The Falcons’ head coach job is open after owner Arthur Blank fired Arthur Smith at the end of Atlanta’s season. As Simmons pointed out, Blank is an older owner who might want to make a splash, and Belichick certainly would check that box.

That being said, it’s hard to believe the Falcons — or any team really — want to part with a top-10 draft pick for a 72-year-old coach coming off a 4-13 season. Just as important: It’s hard to see Belichick wanting to go to a team that just traded away a top-10 pick. The Athletic, in polling three executives from rival teams, did report in early December that Belichick “could be worth as much as a first-round draft pick.” Of course, other executives believed that price would be too high.

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Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio also offered a reasoned take about why the Patriots are unlikely to trade Belichick regardless.

“It’s just not practical,” Florio argued Sunday. “Belichick, as we’ve repeatedly said, has no reason to go along with it. It will take too long for the process to play out, with other teams having to comply with the Rooney Rule before mobilizing to hire Belichick. Through it all, the Patriots would have their own search delayed.”

That’s just one man’s opinion. If Simmons is proven right, though, he’ll deserve a tip of the cap — even if the idea seems a little too far-fetched to believe.