Despite how awful this season has been for the Patriots, it appears the rest of the NFL still values Bill Belichick.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic spoke to three “high-ranking” NFL executives about Belichick’s future. They all believe he could be worth a first-round pick in a potential trade.
“Three high-ranking executives from rival teams who were polled by The Athletic believed the 71-year-old (Bill Belichick) could be worth as much as a first-round draft pick,” Howe wrote.
Last offseason, the Saints traded Sean Payton to the Broncos for a package that featured a 2023 first-round pick.
The Patriots are certainly within their right to ask for a first-round pick in exchange for the most successful head coach of all-time.
REPORT:
Per: @jeffphowe on trading Bill Belichick
“Three high-ranking executives
from rival teams who were polled by The Athletic believed the 71-year-old (Bill Belichick) could be worth as much as a first-round draft pick.”OK 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/oBu5Fb9mFA
— Savage (@SavageSports_) December 7, 2023
Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi already reported that Belichick wants to coach in 2024, regardless if he’s in New England or somewhere else.
“Bill Belichick still wants to coach and obviously the Patriots team isn’t playing well,” Lombardi said. “If Robert Kraft feels like it’s time to make a change that’s fine… Bill Belichick still wants to prove that he’s a really good coach and he’ll go somewhere else.”
Perhaps a change of scenery is all Belichick needs to get back on top.