With Bill Belichick's head coaching opportunities dwindling as each day passes since the Atlanta Falcons hired Raheem Morris, could an underwhelming team such as the Washington Commanders find their way into contention to land one of the winningest coaches of all time?
The Commanders originally liked Ben Johnson for the job, but with the recent announcement that he will stay in his current role as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, the team will have to look elsewhere.
Earlier this week, Hall of Famer Howie Long hinted that Belichick could end up with a surprise team, adding that he could be enticed by the Commanders' second overall pick in the NFL Draft. With three highly touted quarterbacks in Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels entering the draft -- and Belichick having ties to the D.C. area with his dad once coaching at Navy -- could it make sense? According to NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry -- no, not for either side.
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"It doesn't make sense for them [the Commanders], doesn't make sense for him [Belichick], doesn't make sense for anyone, quite frankly," Perry said on Tuesday's Arbella Early Edition. "Unless Bill Belichick is so desperate to get back into coaching that he's willing to make concessions that he might not have made for the Falcons."
It was reported that Atlanta's ultimate deciding factor against hiring Belichick was his desire for full control. Much like how his situation was with the Patriots, Belichick reportedly wanted full say on how the organization would be run, and the Falcons weren't willing to give him that, with The MMQB's Albert Breer adding that Atlanta wanted Belichick the head coach, not Belichick the executive.
Perry believes that a move to the Commanders would only be possible if Belichick was willing to allow someone else to make personnel decisions, and that still may not be enough.
"When it comes to an owner and a head coach, Josh Harris is very analytically minded," Perry said of the Commanders' owner. "Bill Belichick has famously said that he uses analytics, quote, 'less than zero' in his decision making. So, unless he is willing to budge off of that -- Josh Harris' first big hire in Washington was someone to direct their analytics division, so they are all in on this -- that is not Bill Belichick. It's not a fit."
If Harris is going to use analytics and stats to decide on a new head coach, Belichick's recent track record will surely be on the wrong side of things. Since the departure of Tom Brady, Belichick fell to a 47-57 record leading New England and is coming off of a franchise-worst 4-13 season. Paired with his poor history of personnel calls and recent draft history, it would be tough for an analytically minded owner to hire Belichick, who sits just 15 wins shy of Don Shula's win record.
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"It's not a fit for Bill Belichick, he shouldn't want to go there," Perry added. "He should want to do a year of TV rather than go to the Commanders, because he's not getting the record in Washington in two years -- that's a three- or four-year endeavor -- that is a bad football team, and they don't have the resources to make it all that much better this offseason."
At 72 years old, Belichick sits in an odd position -- while he is a great head coach, age is not on his side. Teams that need a head coach are looking to hire someone who can help build for the long run, and at Belichick's age, it would be highly unlikely that the six-time Super Bowl champion is looking to stay long-term.
"[The Commanders] want someone who is not just there for a good time, they want someone who's here for a long time -- both, in a perfect world," Perry said of Washington's coaching search. "Ideally, you want someone who's here for the next 10 years helping you win football games -- you know getting into it that is not Bill Belichick."
Returning to the claim that Belichick should sit out next season and take a TV job, Perry adds that more fitting roles with contending teams may open up down the line, listing the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and Philadelphia Eagles as more fitting teams for the former Patriots leader.
With the Commanders looking to rebuild for the future, and Belichick looking to win now, there are just too many cons to make these two parties fit.