As stunning as it sounds, Bill Belichick could be coaching for his job.
That’s according to Tom Curran, NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots insider, who spoke about the matter on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Monday.
“You talk about avoiding the hot seat. Rich: he’s on the hot seat, and he’s been there at different levels of warmth since 2019,” Curran said.
Eisen was shocked to hear this, and asked, “Really?”
“Look at this way. In 2019, Tom Brady wanted a two-year $50 million guaranteed contract just like Drew Brees had. He presumed he was gonna get that,” Curran said.
“In training camp it was still not forthcoming, and he was like, ‘You know what, if I don’t get this thing, I’m walking out.’ It was explained to Belichick that was the case. They got something done. It was not a two-year guaranteed contract. It was two years with a team option.”
It was then, according to Curran, that Brady made up his mind that he would leave New England.
Curran went on to say that the Patriots “never had a plan” for Brady leaving, and fizzled out the following season with Cam Newton as opening day starter while Brady and the Bucs won the Super Bowl.
There was a bounceback in 2021, Mac Jones’ rookie year, but then after offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to coach the Raiders, there was “massive regression and dysfunction” with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running the offense.
“Kraft has pointed out a number of times, ‘I’m anxious. I want results.’ And he’s not getting them,” Curran said.
Curran is not the only Patriots reporter reading these tea leaves.
“Robert Kraft already made it clear in March that he wants the Patriots to make the postseason and win a playoff game for the first time in five years,” Ben Volin of the Boston Globe wrote last week.
Curran later said that Kraft’s expectation would not necessarily be as lofty as demanding a playoff victory, as the team has a vicious schedule in a stacked AFC East, but that the Patriots cannot look sloppy and discombobulated as they did in many games last season.