It’s not news that a housecleaning is widely anticipated in Washington. The question is what will new owner Josh Harris do next?
Harris could indeed pursue Bill Belichick.
Per a league source, Harris is enamored with the idea of Belichick coaching the Commanders. The question is whether Harris would give Belichick full control over personnel — and whether Belichick would regard the absence of final say over the roster and the draft as as dealbreaker.
Of course, the threshold question is whether Belichick will even be available. That’s to be determined.
It’s possible Belichick doesn’t leave the Patriots. It’s also possible that a de facto trade would have to occur, if Harris want Belichick and Belichick wants to coach the Commanders. (We caught wind back in October of a rumor linking Belichick to the Commanders in trade.)
Of all current potential outcomes (and as I’ll explain in a subsequent item), a clean break is the most likely end game in New England, if things are indeed ending. That would give Harris a clean shot at Belichick.
Beyond the question of whether Belichick would insist on full control of the football operations is the question of whether he’d want the job. The franchise is rich with history and tradition, and it’s not far from his hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. Some believe he won’t be inclined to stray very far from the eastern portion of the country.
But it could take time to build things in D.C. If a playoff team that loses in the wild-card round (or in the divisional round) decides to make a run at Belichick (we’ve previously linked Belichick to Dallas, if a Mike McCarthy blunder ends the latest pursuit of gloryhole), he might be more attracted to a place where the table is already set for winning.
While much is to be determined, here’s the factual information for now: Harris is interested in Belichick as a coach, but perhaps not as a G.M. Where it goes from here will be part of the rollercoaster ride that will commence as soon as tonight, once teams start parting ways with current coaches.
