NFL Insider Predicts Patriots Trade Bill Belichick To This AFC Team

It would be shocking if Belichick was fired by Robert Kraft

This NFL season is shaping up for massive changes in the head coaching ranks, and the Patriots could be part of that.

New England is 2-8 heading into this Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants, and questions about Bill Belichick’s job security are mounting. Signs seem to hint toward a mutual parting of ways to some degree rather than Robert Kraft firing the longtime head coach. It’s also possible Belichick chooses to step down to save face, but the Patriots have the option to trade the future Hall of Fame head coach.

That idea was brought up by NFL insider Sal Paolantonio on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Tuesday.

“… They’re not going to fire Bill Belichick, they’re going to trade Bill Belichick,” Paolantonio said. “They have the rights to Bill Belichick, so this is the big decision. Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft, they have to sit down with Bill Belichick and say, ‘All right, we have a big opportunity. You have an opportunity to perhaps go to the LA Chargers. We’re talking the Spanos family, and we’re going to make a trade for you so that you can perhaps — this is the deal, right? You can get the record Don Shula has for most wins with Justin Herbert, with the LA Chargers.’ That’s the thing. But it’s a big divorce, no question about it. It will be the No. 1 story of the offseason: What’s happening with Bill Belichick.”

Paolantonio wasn’t the first to suggest Los Angeles as a potential Belichick destination. His ESPN colleague Dan Orlovsky said this month Belichick’s next team already had been decided, and multiple other analysts suggested the Washington Commanders as a destination. The Buffalo Bills could be a potential landing spot, too.

Belichick’s future merely is speculation, and the head coach primarily is focused on finishing out the season whenever he’s asked about his job security.

However, given the trajectory of the Patriots’ season, the rumor mill will continue on whether or not Belichick has a future in New England beyond this season.