The New York Giants may have inadvertently reignited the debate over tanking after their surprising 45-33 victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17, which disrupted the 2025 NFL Draft order. Bill Belichick has never shied away from expressing his views on football’s evolution, and now the legendary coach has entered the hotly debated topic of tanking.
In his recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the current North Carolina head coach proposed a major change to the NFL’s draft process: adopting a lottery system similar to the NBA.
This isn’t idle chatter. The debate over tanking hit fever pitch after the Giants’ victory knocked them from the No. 1 overall pick to fourth, putting them out of pole position for top quarterback prospects like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. For Belichick, the chaos underscored the need for change.
“I was never involved in , but I don’t know what happens somewhere else,” Belichick told McAfee. “The NBA kind of rectified that by having a lottery. So even if you’re the worst team, you’re not guaranteed the first pick. In the NFL, that’s not quite the case. If you are the worst team, you do get the first pick.”
Bill Belichick has simple solution to fix tanking in the NFL
Belichick’s proposal stems from a belief that eliminating a direct path to the No. 1 pick could reduce the incentive for teams to tank late in the season.
He said, “I don’t think it would be a bad idea for the competitiveness of the sport to do something similar to what basketball does with those lottery picks.” While admitting it’s ultimately not his call, he suggested, “There’d be other circumstances besides just your record. There’d be actually a lottery part of it.”
To his point, the current system creates significant stakes for bottom-tier teams. The Giants’ improbable win has made their path to a franchise-altering quarterback much murkier. With the New England Patriots now in line for the top pick, followed by the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, the Giants may have to trade up or settle for a lower-tier option.
While tanking isn’t as prevalent in the NFL as in the NBA—thanks to football’s shorter careers and more physically demanding games—it’s not entirely absent. Teams occasionally rest starters or make “strategic” roster decisions to secure better draft positioning. A lottery could discourage such maneuvers and introduce intrigue to an already dramatic offseason process.
Still, the idea isn’t without drawbacks. Critics argue that hope and parity are critical to the NFL’s appeal. The current system ensures that the worst teams have the best chance to rebuild, keeping fans engaged even in disastrous seasons. A lottery might erode that guarantee, particularly for historically struggling franchises.
For the Giants, this conversation hits close to home. After their win over the Colts, the team’s future is suddenly less certain. Lock’s five-touchdown (four passing, one rushing) performance—and the resulting draft slide—feels irrelevant and like a nightmare.
If the G-Men are going to be punished for winning late-season games by falling in the draft order, then what's the point of actually trying to win anyway?
Belichick’s suggestion isn’t likely to lead to immediate change, but it’s sparked an interesting dialogue. An NFL draft lottery could be the next evolution for a league constantly seeking to balance competitiveness with fairness.
However, whether that’s good news for teams like the Giants remains to be seen.