Ian Rapoport provides deeper details on his report about Bill Belichick's job status with Robert Kraft, Patriots
BOSTON -- The Patriots are 3-11, and a lot of doo-doo is hitting a lot of fans. Specifically, everyone in New England is focused on the status of Bill Belichick.
Last week, NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran reported that ownership has already made a decision to move on from Belichick at season's end. Over the weekend, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said not so fast.
"Sources say not only has owner Robert Kraft not come to a firm conclusion on what will happen next with his head-coaching situation, but the way New England finishes could go a long way in determining what's next," Rapoport reported on Saturday. "If they beat the Chiefs on Sunday and run off a string of wins, that could lead to the kind of hope and good feeling that can change minds and make an owner who believed his team should be a playoff team feel like it's headed in the right direction."
Curran, too, had curbed his report by noting that things could change while labeling the matter as "a 28-3 situation." Meaning a change of heart remained a long shot.
Regardless, the reports appeared contradictory to each other. But on Monday, Rapoport joined Karen Guregian on MassLive's "Eye On Foxborough" podcast, and he got into further detail about everything he knows about the situation.
"So I think the main thing for me was just trying to like figure out what's gonna happen over the next month or so. Saying the Patriots are going to move on from Bill Belichick, it's like, what you're saying is the Patriots are going to fire the greatest coach of all time. If you're going to say that, it better be 100 percent not changeable and true. I do not know that to be the case. I don't know that anybody knows that to be the case right now. I don't believe that's been decided right now," Rapoport told Guregian. "And in fact, I think the main thing that I learned over the course of reporting is nobody knows how it's gonna end."
Rapoport explained the Belichick's contract status -- he's signed through 2024 -- adds a major layer of complication. The Patriots could fire Belichick, yet such an unceremonious end would not only be a harsh ending to a long relationship but also would mean New England would receive no compensation if Belichick coaches elsewhere. The Patriots could try to trade Belichick, but then the coach could control the only places he'd want to coach. Rapoport said that if the team does move on from Belichick, then a "mutual parting of ways" is most likely.
"Every different thing depends on so many other things that I feel like it's OK to say I just don't know how this is gonna end. I would also say another possibility is Belichick says, 'OK, I'm good. I'm gonna go do TV or I'm gonna go be an assistant coach at Navy or whatever.' He's so complex, he's so private, and so many times will do the opposite of what you think. Everyone talks about him, you know, Belichick specifically wanting this record. And like, I sort of think he wants the record, but he's never said that. And so I really don't know," Rapoport said. "And again, I think it's OK to say we just don't know."
Rapoport also opined that with just mediocre quarterback play this season, the 3-11 Patriots could be looking at a nine- or 10-win season. Whether that's his own opinion or one he gathered from his reporting is anyone's guess, but he then broached the possibility of Belichick being able to coach the next quarterback in New England.
"What if the Patriots play tough, lose out, and then draft the second-best quarterback in the draft? Would you want the greatest coach of all time picking that quarterback? And I don't know the answer to that, I really don't. But it has to be part of the consideration," Rapoport said. "What if Bill Belichick sits down [with Robert Kraft and] says, 'I can fix this, and I want to fix this,' and lays out his plan to draft a quarterback and fix it. What does Robert Kraft do? Does he say, 'I'm not gonna trust the greatest coach who ever lived to fix it?' I have no idea. But it's amazing how many different things came to my mind while writing that relatively short story, because there's so many different things to consider."
Rapoport noted that unlike the situations with the Chargers, Raiders and even Panthers, the team on the field continues to play hard for Belichick. That certainly matters. But if Kraft believes a separation needs to take place, the owner will make the tough call. However, the decision to let Tom Brady leave in free agency in 2020 could impact Kraft's decision on Belichick.
"Do I think he could? Yes. He has made tough decisions," Rapoport said of Kraft. "I mean, you know, it was part of the -- the Tom Brady parting wasn't, I don't think, clean. It wasn't like, 'You're gone.' It was actually like, 'We're willing to offer you this contract.' He wanted two years, fully guaranteed. 'OK, we're not gonna come together, let's part.' And that was more kind of what it was. But he's made tough decisions in the past. A lot of times at the request of Belichick, a lot of times correct decisions. I do think he would be willing to do it. But here's the thing I keep thinking about. You know the legacy of Robert Kraft is important to a lot of people in that building. You know, should he be a Hall of Famer? I would say, obviously, yeah. Obviously. Well, part of the legacy could potentially be saying goodbye to the greatest quarterback of all time and the greatest coach of all time. A lot of wins, a lot of wins -- more than anyone else. But also that. And so, Robert Kraft has not spoken publicly in a very long time. And you know, I'm talking like real stuff. I'm really curious, does he think about that? Does he want to be someone who fired the greatest coach of all time and the greatest quarterback of all time? Or maybe he says I love this franchise so much, and I love the fans so much that I'm even willing to do that. This is why we have so many unanswered questions, because there are such deep issues in everything in New England means so much to the people involved that they're so multi-layered, you know?"
That we do. And so, for at least three more weeks, the mystery and unknown is certain to live on until a firm, official decision is made.
