If Robert Kraft and the Patriots do opt to move on from Bill Belichick after a disastrous 2023 season, there should be a long list of suitors lined up to try and sign the future Hall-of-Famer.
Even with Belichick’s fingerprints smeared all over this lackluster Patriots roster, his lofty resume and the headlines generated by adding someone of his coaching caliber to a team’s sideline should catch the eye of any owner this upcoming offseason.
And if you ask former Patriots QB Cam Newton, Panthers owner David Tepper might be the first one in line if Belichick is handed his pink slip in Foxborough — especially with Carolina firing Frank Reich after just 11 games with the team.
During the latest episode of Newton’s “4th & 1” podcast, the former Panthers star signal caller said he believes that Tepper wants to hire a legendary coach like Belichick.
“I think Tepper, knowing what I do know, he’s hoping that he can land Bill Belichick,” Newton said. “That right there will be a win-win-win-win for David Tepper.”
Granted, it shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise that Tepper would want to make a splash with a coach like Belichick.
But would Belichick want to chart a new path with a team like Carolina, especially given Tepper’s growing track record of inserting himself into football-related decisions?
“The thing that I know would be the enticing lure to it, is because Tepper will give him everything that he would need,” Newton said of Belichick’s potential interest in joining Carolina. “And also that will allow Belichick to say, ‘You know what, things didn’t work out [with Patriots], now I can show you I can do it somewhere else.’”
The 1-10 Panthers might have a long road ahead of them if they want to contend, especially with rookie QB Bryce Young struggling and Carolina trading its upcoming first-round pick (a likely lock for a top-three selection) to the Chicago Bears.
But Newton is far from the only one who has mentioned Carolina as a viable landing spot for a free-agent Belichick this offseason.
In his latest football column, The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin linked Belichick and the Panthers as a potential fit, according to league sources “who know the coaching market and know Belichick.”