Bidding War: Snag in Belichick-Kraft Patriots Parting?

The drama between New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick may be intensified by a new plot twist at season’s end.

FOXBORO — Would the New England Patriots consider selling the services of head coach Bill Belichick to the highest bidder? One prominent Pats insider recently suggested that the idea may not be all that far-fetched. 

During Tuesday’s episode of Quick Slants, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston acknowledged that team owner Robert Kraft may examine the idea to “make a bidding war emerge” for Belichick if the Patriots part ways with the legendary head coach. 

Curran’s report indicates it could take “multiple weeks” for the process to unfold, with teams potentially being subject to conduct a superficial coaching search before contacting New England to strike a deal for the 71-year-old. 

In short, the delay would put both the Patriots and the team hiring Belichick at a significant disadvantage.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (left) and head coach Bill Belichick / Credit: USA Today Sports Images

“That’s three weeks less that the new coach has to prepare the team,” Curran said. “Three weeks less that there is a personnel department with a clearly defined vision for 2024 … Foot dragging for compensation is not the way to go.”

With the Patriots having been officially eliminated from playoff contention — their third such fate in the last four seasons — Belichick’s future with the franchise has been the subject of much scrutiny. At 3-11, they are by far the worst team in the AFC. Unsurprisingly, the blame for such inefficiencies has fallen more on the shoulders of Belichick than anyone else in the organization — with fans and media alike ferociously clamoring for the eight-time Super Bowl champion's outright firing.

Speculation about Belichick's immediate future was sent into overdrive just two weeks ago when Curran reported that the coach's fate was sealed after the Pats embarrassing 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany — a game which Kraft wanted to win “badly.”

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Since that time, NFL Network has tepidly refuted such assumptions, claiming that Kraft has yet to make a decision, with a “period of evaluation” coming when the regular season ends.”

Should the end of the Belichickian era in Foxboro be nearing its end, it would be beneficial for both the Pats and Belichick’s new suitor to act quickly — rather than invite a prolonged, and potentially messy divorce. 

While the type of delay described in Curran’s Tuesday report would almost certainly be unacceptable to Kraft — a renowned savvy businessman — these latest offerings from the rumor mill provide further evidence that a rocky offseason awaits the Patriots front office at the conclusion of the season. 

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