How Did Bill Belichick Get a Multi-Year Extension?
Greg Bedard and Nick Cattles react to the news of Bill Belichick receiving a lucrative multi-year extension to remain Head Coach of the New England Patriots. Are the Krafts unwilling to plug the plug on the Belichick era? Did Bill get this contract because of his legacy? And if so, it raises some interesting questions about the Pats' unwillingness to do the same for Tom Brady.
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00:00 Greg, what the hell is going on with Bill Belichick's contract?
00:03 You know, I don't really know.
00:08 And, you know, I think this is a pretty overblown story.
00:13 I mean, just because we're never going to know any specifics.
00:16 We're never going to know the details.
00:17 And just because there's these fuzzy multi-year lucrative blah, blah, blah,
00:24 like it doesn't mean there's any more information in that.
00:28 It's just words.
00:29 Like, you know, the bottom line to me is this, Nick.
00:34 The only thing that matters, the only thing that's relevant,
00:38 I don't care about the term, I don't care about whatever,
00:40 is ownership.
00:43 If things get really bad, is ownership willing to move on from Bill Belichick
00:46 no matter what is left on his contract?
00:48 I've been told yes.
00:50 There will be people who don't believe that,
00:52 who think the crafts are cheap and they won't do this.
00:55 They might be right.
00:57 But all I can tell you is what I'm reporting and that the crafts will move on
01:01 if it comes to it.
01:02 And we'll see what happens at the end of the season, whether it happens.
01:05 But, you know, I don't think there's, I think this is completely overblown.
01:10 I think this is a talk radio story because it's different than the football team,
01:14 which has mostly been bad.
01:15 And they're just globbing onto it.
01:17 And, you know, look, like I said last week, going into the Bills game, you know,
01:22 and I can't tell you how many emails and tweets I got from people saying like,
01:27 how come you're not coming down stronger on the team?
01:29 You know, they're obviously dead.
01:30 And, you know, one paper's writing the time of death of the Patriots off of the last game.
01:34 And I just refuse to do that because I've seen too many things covering the league for over 20
01:40 years and how things can change and how one game can change.
01:43 I don't know whether that's going to happen now.
01:46 So my stance, and I know it's not sexy, and I know we have a podcast to do today,
01:51 or we have a talk radio show to do today.
01:53 But the truth of the matter is there are going to be no decisions made on Bill Belichick until
01:58 the season is over.
01:59 We need to see all of it.
02:01 We need to see Mac Jones.
02:02 We need to see the offense.
02:03 We need to see the season.
02:04 If they close with seven straight wins, that's going to change the calculation.
02:09 So, you know, it doesn't surprise me.
02:12 My read on it is Bill was probably going into a lame duck year.
02:16 That never happens with a coach.
02:18 You always get extended going into a lame duck year.
02:23 But the Crafts, if needed, they will walk away or they probably have language built
02:27 into it about buyout and deferred payments and all this stuff.
02:31 But the most interesting thing that I found from this, that Bill got an extension or new
02:38 contract or whatever it is off of his second losing season in three years.
02:43 And I have no problem with it because I think Bill Belichick has earned that.
02:47 He has earned what he's done for the Crafts, the franchise, the area with the six Super
02:52 Bowl titles and the unparalleled success.
02:55 If I give him an extra $50 million, OK, fine.
03:00 I've, you know, I've made that back.
03:01 How many folds if I'm the Crafts with my franchise valuation?
03:06 But the thing is, so I have no problem with that.
03:09 What's ironic is that that's the respect contract that Tom Brady wanted after winning
03:15 the Super Bowl title in 2018 that he never got from Bill Belichick.
03:19 So, so, so Bill gets the respect contract, which he should.
03:23 Tom doesn't.
03:24 I think that's that's a bunch of bull crap.
03:26 If I was Robert, I'd be like, well, we're just going to give you the Brady deal that
03:30 you would give him and why you basically drove him out of town.
03:34 So those are sort of my wide ranging thoughts on it.
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03:51 Win or lose.
03:52 Went deep into this.
03:57 We're short on time because Greg has to run to Felger and Maz and go through that pain
04:00 for a couple of hours.
04:02 But I will say you can check out my pod on the YouTube channel there.
04:07 Nick Cattles, you can check that out for my in-depth breakdown.
04:10 About everything, if you're interested.
04:12 But I tend to agree with a lot of what you said, Greg.
04:15 I read this situation as, all right, you got one year left on your deal bill in 2023.
04:22 What are we going to do about this?
04:23 Well, let's tack on an extra year for 2024.
04:27 And I would not be surprised if there's some kind of option for 2025.
04:30 And that's where the whole several years, multi years, all that all that crap comes
04:36 in.
04:37 I don't think Belichick or Kraft wanted Belichick to be a lame duck coach this year.
04:41 It makes no sense to do that.
04:42 And he wants to break Shuler's record.
04:46 So I think Kraft gives him a chance to do that by extending him through '24.
04:50 Gives him an option '25 just in case this works out.
04:53 And then they can revisit it later on.
04:55 I think that's what likely happened.
04:57 And I'd be flabbergasted if Kraft doesn't have protections within this contract.
05:03 There has to be outs.
05:04 What's the guaranteed-- all of those things.
05:07 I earned it.
05:09 The earned it thing that you mentioned for what Belichick has done.
05:12 I think you earn it to a point.
05:14 I do think '25 and '26, the previous three years, the Patricia Jo Judge decision, how
05:20 Bill handled the quarterback position since Brady left.
05:24 Jared Stidham, anybody remember that?
05:26 Cam Newton off the scrap heap.
05:27 So I think if this was what I think it was through '24 and then the option, I'm OK with
05:34 it.
05:35 If this was Kraft giving Belichick through 2025, I think that's malpractice.
05:42 I think that's bananas.
05:43 I don't think you can go beyond '24 with some outs built in.
05:47 I think that's bad by the owner.
05:49 And I'll just say this to wrap it up.
05:52 I tend to believe the people that work-- and I'm not saying that Ian Rappaport was wrong
06:00 or Schefter.
06:01 I'm not saying that.
06:03 The details, the language, all of that, I tend to lean towards the guys and the women
06:10 that have sources for a number of years built up and have been around.
06:13 And I know Rappaport for a little while.
06:15 But Jeff Howe's report going back a couple weeks ago, which was months after this negotiation,
06:21 told us that Kraft was willing to pull the trigger on Bill.
06:24 Greggs told us that Kraft's willing to pull the trigger.
06:28 Tom Curran has said it.
06:30 Mike Reese said it today on Bertrand and Zoellack, so Mike Reese has also said that.
06:35 Karen Geregian, who I love her work.
06:38 She is an OG.
06:39 She knows a ton of people.
06:42 Her and Tom Curran have been working on the beat for a combined 60 years.
06:46 And they both say, "Belichick's not safe."
06:49 That's the message.
06:50 That's what matters the most.
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