New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick looked to be in midseason form when fielding questions from media members at the NFL annual meeting in Arizona on Monday.
Two of the biggest questions surrounded Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Jackson revealed in a Twitter post on Monday that he asked to be traded from the Baltimore Ravens on March 2. There haven’t been any direct links between the Patriots and Jackson, but the two sides have come up often in dream scenario pairings.
Meanwhile, Beckham would be a significant addition to the Patriots’ receivers room. They’re still missing a true No. 1 option on the depth chart, and even though Beckham is coming off a serious knee injury, he’d still give the team a boost on the football field.
However, when asked about both players, Belichick stayed true to form in his response.
Same response when asked about Odell Beckham Jr. https://t.co/NfWWGdZS9K
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) March 27, 2023
The Patriots going after Jackson would be interesting, but they’d essentially be throwing in the towel on Mac Jones, who was a Pro Bowl quarterback when Josh McDaniels was the offensive coordinator.
It might make more sense for the Patriots to see what they have in Jones’ third year under center instead of jumping ahead and rocking the boat this soon. Things should be significantly better offensively in 2023 with Bill O’Brien taking over the play-calling.
As for Beckham, it all depends on the price tag and his willingness to join the Patriots. Both situations are mere speculation, and Belichick doesn’t typically engage in that sort of conjecture.
Fulfilling obligations, while saying as little as possible in doing so—Belichick was on point as always.
