The New England Patriots are set to play out the final two weeks of the season, and there has been speculation about coach Bill Belichick’s job security throughout the course of it.
Will owner Robert Kraft fire Belichick, or could the two sides come to some sort of agreement to keep the relationship going. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer floated out a possibility that could keep Belichick in New England.
To do so, the legendary coach would be forfeiting his general manager duties. Breer wrote:
But I could see a scenario where Patriots owner Robert Kraft goes to Belichick and lays it out like this: We were going to restructure football ops after you retired, so rather than waiting for that, we’re going to do it now. I’m hiring a general manager. You won’t report to him, but he won’t report to you, either. Both of you will report to me, and you will work together, with his job being to build the roster up to 90, and your job being to cut it down to 53. If you want to be a part of that, great. If not, we can find a graceful way to end this.
Belichick has served the role of general manager for the organization since the 2000 season. He has had full control of roster building and drafting. Unfortunately, his draft success has been a bit of a struggle as of late, as the team currently sits at 4-11 and on the verge of a second straight losing season.
It would certainly be a little bit of a change up from how the Patriots have historically operated. Nevertheless, it may be time for something different with the team continuing to struggle.