Insane proposal unites Sean Payton and Bill Belichick in Denver
Bill Belichick's status in New England beyond this year is shaky, to say the least. Well, are we so sure that Belichick even wants to be a head coach in the NFL beyond 2023? Let me preface this by saying that I do not think it will happen, but it's worth talking about, and Sayre Bedinger of Predominantly Orange put together this insane proposal.
Bill Belichick is 71 years old and is enduring the worst season of his head coaching career. It's a total mess for the Patriots, and virtually all of that mess was created by Belichick, who has been the head coach and de-facto GM for years now. Between a plethora of draft busts and some shaky free agent signings, the Patriots are going to have to undergo a serious rebuild in 2024.
And Bill Belichick heading up that rebuild doesn't seem like the smartest idea. In fact, Belichick's status in New England doesn't seem to be safe beyond this year. Sayre Bedinger proposal an (unrealistic) idea that Belichick ends up in Denver coaching alongside Sean Payton. Yeah, it does sound ridiculous, but I think Bedinger laid out a strong argument as to why it could happen:
"There is nothing Bill Belichick needs to do to cement his legacy. It's already done. Leaving New England to be the head coach of another team at the age of 71 going on 72 shouldn't be a requirement in his mind. Belichick has effectively served as the head coach/GM of the Patriots for nearly 25 years at this point, and let's just say that Belichick would go and become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Sayre Bedinger
Now, the pressure is on to fix a seemingly cursed franchise, hire an offensive staff that will work for Justin Herbert, and win a division with Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid at the top as well as Sean Payton now building something in Denver. Is that to say Belichick can't do it? Absolutely not. All I'm saying is, Belichick doesn't need to prove anything to anyone at this point. Is he going to have the Chargers -- or any other team -- competing for a Super Bowl in the next 3-5 years?
Belichick is the type of football nut that I think would absolutely accept a role as a defensive coordinator elsewhere. And not just defensive coordinator, but how about some additional roles on top of that? Let's just lay it out there as plainly as possible.
I'm proposing an idea for Bill Belichick to come onto Sean Payton's staff as an assistant/associate head coach as well as the defensive coordinator. Imagine Sean Payton and Bill Belichick working together after all they've accomplished as NFL head coaches...And not just Belichick working on the coaching staff, but naming his price to do so."
I think the one thing that is going to hurt Belichick if he goes to a new team is his recent track record as the GM of the team. I personally do not think even a desperate franchise is going to feel comfortable giving Belichick GM duties along with his normal job as a head coach. Why would a team consider that? Teams that will and might have both HC and GM openings include the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Commanders. Well, only one of those teams has a franchise QB in the building, so if Belichick is wanting GM duties as well, would teams like the Raiders, Panthers, and Commanders feel confident that Belichick could get the QB right?
I mean, they took a stab at Tom Brady in the NFL Draft two decades ago, and Belichick never really had to do much with the QB position since then. The only thing he's really shown he can consistently do is build and scheme a strong defense, and I do think the game has passed him by. He's failed to adapt to the modern-day NFL, and the current state of his team is proof of that. Belichick truly might not have a long line of teams wanting to bring him on as their head coach. I don't think he'll have his choice. And heck, Belichick might enjoy a huge change; you never know.
The scenario that Bedinger proposes is Sean Payton bringing Belichick to Denver as the Broncos' defensive coordinator. He even floats the idea of Belichick having personnel say on that side of the ball too, which might make the job more appealing. And then you might have to consider the Denver Broncos rich ownership group. They recently took over as the team's new owners, succeeding the Pat Bowlen era, and these Walmart owners have overseen a ton of financial moves so far in Denver, which include extending Russell Wilson, paying Sean Payton a ton of money, and a lucrative stadium upgrade, among many other financial endeavors.
You think they'd shy away from paying Bill Belichick head coach money to be the DC? I don't think so. We'll see how the New England Patriots go about their situation with Belichick at the end of the year, and this could be a fun scenario to think about.