Bill Belichick Raves About Creed Humphrey and New Contract Extension: 'That Was a Great Signing by Kansas City'

After the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to a long-term contract extension with center Creed Humphrey, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick raved about the deal and Humphrey's importance in KC.

Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) on the field after the game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have secured the centerpiece of their offensive line for the foreseeable future by agreeing to a massive contract extension with center Creed Humphrey, making him the highest-paid center in the NFL. While the new deal has received plenty of praise from around the NFL, one of the most enthusiastic endorsers of Humphrey's play and new contract comes from an interesting source of expertise: six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick.

Belichick appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, where the most-decorated head coach in NFL history took initiative to discuss Humphrey's new deal. In the midst of a discussion about contract negotiations and the Chiefs' salary management, Belichick volunteered his perspective on why KC was smart to extend Humphrey when they did.

"That was another good move, I thought, by Kansas City, re-signing the center, Creed Humphrey," Belichick began. "That kid's a good, young player, he's got a lot of football left in him. A long-term deal that solidifies the middle, and that center's an important position, especially with a quarterback like Patrick [Mahomes], in terms of not only the cadences, but the 'Mike' [middle linebacker] points, getting the protections set right, seeing subtle things that a center can see on the line of scrimmage about where a blitz might be coming from, or a lineman cheating a certain way, who can help a quarterback out. That's really a big position, and I think a lot of those guys, honestly, are undervalued because of how good they help the other four guys play on the line. A bad center kills the other four linemen. A good center can help those guys play better by making the right calls and doing the right thing."

Belichick went on to discuss how difficult it will be for the Philadelphia Eagles to replaced now-retired center Jason Kelce, especially due to his ability to raise the level of play around him as the captain of the offensive line unit. Then, Belichick returned to Humphrey's importance to the Chiefs' offense.

"I thought Humphrey, that was a great signing by Kansas City, especially for the quarterback," Belichick continued. "There's nothing that a quarterback hates more than an undependable center. 'Where's the ball going? Is he gonna snap it early? Do we have the right guys blocked?' and all that, I mean, honestly, that'll drive a [quarterback] crazy."

"I thought Kansas City getting that deal done with Creed Humphrey was a great move..

Center is such a big position and a lot of those guys are undervalued..

A bad center kills the other four lineman and a good center can help all those guys play better"

Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/vFHYmp14Vy

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 26, 2024

Belichick then recounted an adjustment the Patriots made in 2001, bringing in a center who they could trust for shotgun snaps, moving their previous center to guard "just for the security of the quarterback-center exchange." Again, Belichick circled back to Humphrey and tripled-down on his extension being the right move for the reigning back-to-back champions.

"Center's an important position," Belichick concluded. "I thought that was a great signing by Kansas City. Humphrey's a good player."

Read More: Creed Humphrey Excited to Stay in 'Perfect Situation' Following Extension