How recent reports could lead Bill Belichick back to New York Giants
By Matt Clark
The notion of a reunion between Bill Belichick and the New York Giants seemed like a utopian dream. However, recent reports out of New England involving multiple aspects of the organization are starting to make it a real possibility.
Word out of New England suggesting that Patriots offensive coordinator and director of player personnel Nick Caserio is expected to pursue opportunities outside the organization, coupled with the recent video taping scandal and Tom Brady’s impending free agency at the conclusion of the season, suddenly give reason to believe that a perfect storm may be brewing in New England that could force the end of the Bill Belichick era. If that scenario does play out, the New York Giants must do everything in their power to bring him back to New York.
It has been mentioned previously that the Tom Brady free agency situation might result in Brady pulling a power play with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, forcing him to choose between he and head coach Bill Belichick, for reasons outlined here. Despite some compelling facts regarding what has become a potentially tumultuous relationship between the head coach and the future Hall of Fame quarterback, a divorce still seemed like a pipe dream.
However, a recent CBS Sports article by Tyler Sullivan, is suggesting that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and director of player personnel Nick Caserio are expected to pursue opportunities outside of the Patriots organization. This is important to note, due to the circumstances surrounding their current roles and the fact that both are blocked by Bill Belichick in their quest to advance their careers.
Josh McDaniels last attempted to pursue opportunities outside the Patriots when he accepted the head coaching vacancy for the Indianapolis Colts following the 2017 season. However, McDaniels would renege on the opportunity, deciding to instead return to the Patriots as their offensive coordinator for a very lucrative new deal, that pays him as much as $4 million per season, as much as many head coaches in the league. The Colts would go on to hire Frank Reich and most experts assumed that McDaniels signed the deal with a handshake promise to make him the heir apparent to Bill Belichick.
Nick Caserio has served under the title of director of player personnel for the Patriots since 2008 and has been with New England since 2001. In his current role, he serves as the “right hand man” for Bill Belichick, who serves as the general manager of the Patriots, despite not officially holding the title. Initially, it was believed that Belichick was acting nearly unilaterally when making decisions regarding the team, but recent reports have indicated that Caserio has played an integral role in assisting with the decision making for the Patriots, essentially serving as an assistant general manager.
If the news that McDaniels and Caserio were not concerning enough for New England, they were recently investigated for filming the Bengals from the press box. Reports were it was for a documentary piece and that there would be light or no punishment as a result. However, it was leaked that Bill Belichick was livid at the organization over the situation and the further negative light that was cast upon he and the Patriots as a result.
Finally, there is the precarious situation surrounding the relationship between Belichick and Tom Brady. It has been well documented that Brady was upset with Belichick over him removing Brady’s close friend and personal trainer, Alex Guerrero, from all team facilities and functions. In addition, Brady was displeased about reports that Belichick favored trading him and keeping Jimmy Garoppolo, but was overruled by owner Robert Kraft, ultimately resulting in Garoppolo being traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
Given the culmination of all of these issues, is it possible it forces Robert Kraft to move on from Bill Belichick? As previously mentioned, this may hinge heavily on what Tom Brady wants. If he is supportive of the idea of moving on from Belichick, Kraft may decide to name McDaniels his successor as head coach and Caserio the successor as general manager of the Patriots.
Given that Belichick has stated he isn’t sure how much longer he wants to coach, it may come down to Kraft determining that he prefers to keep the younger disciples of Belichick, Caserio and McDaniels, who are both just 43-years-old. Keeping McDaniels and Caserio in the fold would present a long-term viable option over the aging Belichick, rather than losing their talent to another franchise, which may be the more appealing option to Kraft.
If this were to occur, John Mara and Steve Tisch need to do everything in their power to convince Bill Belichick to come back to the New York Giants organization where he first made a name for himself, as the defensive coordinator of their Super Bowl champion teams. Securing a football genius such as Belichick would rapidly expedite the rebuild of the Giants and would go a long way in restoring them to relevance.
There has been a plethora of reports recently that the Giants intend on moving on from head coach Pat Shurmur, following a second straight disappointing season. Those same reports suggest that current general manager Dave Gettleman is in trouble as well and may also be let go after the season. If this occurs, Belichick could fill both vacant positions, acting in a similar role to what he currently serves with the Patriots.
Bringing Belichick in would allow him to continue to coach the Giants for as long as he desires. Once his ambition to remain a head coach expires, he could move strictly into the role as the general manager, while allowing his son Stephen, who is the safeties coach and defensive play caller for the top ranked New England defense this year, to become his successor as the head coach. This idea would certainly be more appealing to the elder Belichick than moving on to McDaniels as his successor in New England as is currently the plan.
While the idea of a divorce between Belichick and the Patriots still seems unlikely, given the recent events and reports coming out of New England, it is becoming more and more plausible that it could happen. If by some miracle Belichick does leave the Patriots and he comes back to the Giants, hope in the future of the organization would be quickly restored. In the meantime, Giants fans will have to resort to waiting with bated breath, hoping that their pipe dream becomes a reality.