What's New England Patriots Bill Belichick's Trade Value?

Today, New England. Tomorrow, the world?

Calls for Bill Belichick's ousting from the New England Patriots are at a fever pitch as the team continues to sink deeper in the NFL mire, to the point where a 21-17 loss to a mediocre Las Vegas Raiders team is considered a relative sign of progress. With that loss, New England fell to 1-5, its worst start in nearly three decades

A Belichick departure was a major topic on WBZ-FM's Toucher and Rich morning radio program this week. Joined by Boston Sports Journal's Mike Giardi, the duo acknowledged that Belichick could be coveted by a team in desperate need of franchise footing ... which could lead to the unusual yet intriguing idea of shipping Belichick off in a trade.

"I think he'll want to coach (but) I don't think you'd get much for him in a trade," Giardi, previously of NFL Network, said. "But there are teams, sure. I think the Commanders would be a team, I think Chicago."

Eight coaching trades have been agreed upon in NFL history, including a 2000 Patriots deal with the New York Jets that brought Belichick over in the first place. The most recent went down earlier this year when Denver traded a first and third-round pick to New Orleans for the purpose of getting the previously-retired Sean Payton out of his contract.

Giardi doesn't believe that a team would shell out a first-round pick for Belichick in his current state, citing both his legacy tarnished by the 2020s and his advanced age. But there are teams, he argues, that would be interested in inviting him to embark on a post-Patriots era via a trade.

He first suggests the Washington Commanders, who are working through a fourth season of Ron Rivera. That suggestion is bucked by Fred Toucher, who claims that D.C. is "overachieving" to the tune of a 3-3 record in the competitive NFC East. Co-host Rich Shertenlieb then hints at the Los Angeles Chargers, but Giardi rebuffs the idea by saying that the Bolts "don't like to pay."

It's far from a consensus, but the most unity among the trio arrives when Shertenlieb brings up the Chicago Bears, who are equally foundering under second-year head coach Matt Eberflus. 

Even with a matching 1-5 mark, Chicago could stand as one of the most attractive fixer-uppers in recent NFL memory: by virtue of last year's pick exchange with winless Carolina, the Bears currently hold each of the first two picks at the 2024 NFL Draft.

Toucher is livid at the idea, claiming that Chicago would not want to waste such a golden opportunity on an aging "defensive weirdo" like Belichick no matter how much coaching history (i.e. Don Shula's win record) is on the line. Shertenlieb, however, feels that Bears fans would be "elated" after so many false prophets wearing the headset. 

"That's exactly the fanbase I'm talking about," Shertenlieb said. "All they've gotten is awful coach after awful coach since (Mike) Ditka left."

In the meantime, New England appears to be content with at least playing out the stretch of an increasingly dreary season with Belichick in tow. The next game on the cursed journey lands on Sunday when New England hosts the Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS).