The New England Patriots are reeling after a 38-3 demolition at the hands of the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas this Sunday. This was the worst loss in Bill Belichick’s 29-year head coaching career and dropped the Pats to 1-3.
2023 has been more of the same for the Patriots in the post-Tom Brady era, with the franchise only making one playoff appearance since 2020. New England has been plagued by offensive ineptitude that dates back to last year and there aren’t any signs of major improvement.
Mac Jones has regressed after a promising rookie campaign and his limitations are evident. The Patriots are on track for another season of mediocrity which could prompt Robert Kraft to make wholesale changes.
Those changes could include Belichick, who may not be on the best terms with Kraft at the moment. Now, I highly doubt Kraft would outright fire the greatest coach ever, regardless of how 2023 pans out. However, I do believe there could be mutual interest in going different directions at season’s end.
There were rumblings this offseason that Belichick’s job may not be safe if the Pats didn’t show signs of progress. Based on early returns, there’s a good chance that progress isn’t made this season.
Kraft may already have Belichick’s replacement in the building. The organization reportedly really likes inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo as a potential coaching candidate. Mayo had the chance to interview for the Panthers job this past cycle, but declined.
Why would Mayo decline an opportunity to be a head coach for another team? Maybe he knows he has a head coaching gig waiting in the wings in Foxborough.
Even if the franchise isn’t looking to make a change, what incentive does Belichick have to remain in New England? Mac Jones appears to be a middle of the road starter at best and he’s in a division with Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and (presumably)Aaron Rodgers going forward.
There is also the growing narrative that Brady carried the Pats’ historic dynasty and Belichick was just a product of his quarterback. As ridiculous as that narrative is, it exists nonetheless. Why not go for the opportunity to prove you don’t need Brady to win at the highest level?
That opportunity doesn’t appear to be realistic in New England in an increasingly difficult AFC East. So if the Patriots don’t offer Belichick the best chance to return to perennial playoff contention, which team does?
Roughly 3,000 miles southwest of Boston, there is a franchise that may be a great coach away from being a Super Bowl contender. The Los Angeles Chargers have a talent rich roster that has yet to get over the hump. This has largely been due to an underperforming defense that squandered a 27-point lead in their Wild Card loss to the Jaguars in January.
Current head coach Brandon Staley was already on thin ice entering his third season and their defensive woes so far this season don’t exactly help Staley’s case. The Chargers have already wasted two strong performances from Justin Herbert in losses to Miami and Tennessee because their defense couldn’t get stops.
Staley’s botched fourth down deep in his own territory nearly cost them a game against the Vikings despite a flawless performance from Herbert. No franchise with an elite quarterback has accomplished less than the L.A. Chargers over the past few years and they may be on track for another Wild Card exit, that’s if they even make the playoffs.
This is a franchise that let the hall of fame careers of Dan Fouts and Phillip Rivers go to waste and they are in danger of repeating history with Herbert. The Chargers offer Belichick the best opportunity to get back to his winning ways and this pairing just makes too much sense.
Offense isn’t the issue for the Chargers, they have a generationally talented QB along with high end skill players such as Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and 2023 first round pick Quentin Johnston. The Chargers also have an above average offensive line with plenty of young pieces that should keep Herbert upright for the foreseeable future.
If the Chargers can just get more out of their defense, they could become a legitimate threat to Kansas City in the AFC West. Who better to get more out of an underachieving unit than the best defensive coach ever?
Belichick can get the defense right, he just needs the other side of the ball to be up to par. He would inherit a defense that has strong personnel with guys like Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Derwin James Jr. and Asante Samuel Jr.
One of the main culprits behind the Patriots’ recent offensive struggles has been the offensive coordinator. After Josh McDaniels took over the Raiders, Belichick has struggled to find the right guy to run his offense.
He won’t have to worry about that with the Chargers as Kellen Moore has worked very well with Herbert in their short time together.
General manager Tom Telesco has done a good job building quality rosters, however he hasn’t been able to get the coach right. Belichick would be able to step away from his role as general manager and focus strictly on coaching with a proven GM making personnel decisions.
Everything is in place for the right coach to come along and make the Chargers perennial AFC contenders alongside the Chiefs, Bengals and Bills. Kraft wouldn’t have to fire Belichick if he just left for a new job and they could avoid a messy end to a two-decade partnership that resulted in six Lombardi Trophies.
If Brady could leave for greener pastures, why can’t his former coach do the same?
Hiring Belichick would also increase fan interest for a team that desperately needs it. The NFL’s return to L.A. has been dominated by the Rams while the Chargers have been an afterthought in the city. This is largely due to the success the Rams found after relocating which culminated in a victory in Super Bowl LVI.
But the Rams appear to be staring down a lengthy rebuild, leaving a void for quality NFL football in L.A. The Chargers could take over as the city’s premiere NFL franchise if they pair Belichick and Herbert together.
The one drawback with the Chargers job is the elephant in the room, Kansas City. While residing in the same division as the league’s current dynasty isn’t ideal, Belichick is already in a division being dominated by another franchise.
The Bills have won the East convincingly the last three seasons and show no signs of slowing down. Miami has also emerged as a legit threat, rattling off three straight winning seasons and only getting better each year. That’s not even accounting for the Jets who will likely get Rodgers back in 2024.
Would you rather be the fourth best team on paper in the AFC East or be the second best team on paper with the Chargers. The Raiders are in no man’s land while the Broncos are crossing their fingers that the Russell Wilson experiment can amount to any success.
Making a Super Bowl run as a Wild Card team is far from unheard of and the Chargers have the makings of a team that could shift the landscape of the conference.
This move makes so much sense for a multitude of reasons for both teams. The only question is will all parties involved be able to make it happen?