Bill Belichick's future: The 'fascinating' team that could trade for the legendary coach

Bill Belichick's NFL coaching future remains unclear as the 2023 season begins its 12th week. Belichick's New England Patriots have struggled mightily this year, their 2-8 record the worst in the AFC. As it stands, the Patriots will have a golden opportunity to reset and rebuild through the 2024 NFL Draft -- where they are slated to pick third and could select a blue-chip quarterback prospect.

It remains to be seen whether the Patriots franchise will leave Belichick in charge to work with a new draft class, or whether the two sides will work out some kind of agreement to part ways in January. If the latter comes to pass, several teams figure to be interested in trading for Belichick -- and one report this week claims a "fascinating" team could push hard for the six-time Super Bowl winner.

Is there a fit between Belichick and the Bucs?

ProFootballTalk writer Mike Florio on Wednesday appeared on the Barstool Sports podcast "Pardon My Take." The NFL insider said teams such as the Washington Commanders, the Carolina Panthers, and the Los Angeles Chargers figure to express interest in acquiring Belichick ahead of next season -- but he also made special mention of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are having a down season following Tom Brady's retirement.

Florio described the process as such for the Glazer family, who have owned the Buccaneers since 1995:

Go out and hire a big name, put butts in the seats, they can't get people to come to the games now that they don't have Brady. Go after Belichick, put butts in the seats, if he wins, he wins, if he doesn't, he doesn't, but we're going to make money in the interim by filling up our stadium.

Mike Florio

The 4-6 Buccaneers will be retooled after the season following years of significant spending while Brady was in town. That could include searching for a new leader under center, although Baker Mayfield has had a solid season in Tampa. Even still, the Bucs have lost five of their past six games under current head coach Todd Bowles, who has a career winning rate of 40 percent.

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The ask for Belichick

Any team interested in trading for Belichick will have to negotiate with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, andNew England ideally hopes to secure a deluge of draft picks for their legendary head coach. This would put the Pats on the fast track for a rebuild, and a better chance of returning to championship contention after a few years in the NFL's wilderness.

For now though, Belichick remains contracted to the Patriots on what has been described as a "lucrative" long-term deal, and he's preparing his team to face the New York Giants on Sunday in a pivotal matchup for draft positioning. The Patriots have not officially named a starting quarterback for Sunday, with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe jostling for position amidst this difficult season.