NFL Insider Explains How Patriots Could ‘Play Hardball’ With Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick has found his way back into the news recently, and not for anything related to his new girlfriend.

There’s been quite a bit of talk about Belichick’s coaching future, as a recent report claimed the New England Patriots legend is fully invested in returning to the sideline next year. Belichick could have avoided a hiatus if he was so inclined, as 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed he offered the eight-time Super Bowl champion the opportunity to do “anything he wanted” in San Francisco this season.

The revelation made the wheels start turning for Mike Florio, who brought up “a potential wrinkle” regarding Belichick’s divorce from the Patriots.

“If the Patriots want to play hardball with Belichick (and there’s no obvious reason to think they do), they could try to argue that they should be entitled to a partial offset for whatever Belichick is due to make this year while not coaching the Patriots,” Florio wrote in a Pro Football Talk column published Tuesday. “If he’d taken the job, they would have gotten the offset. By not taking the job, the Patriots could claim they should still get the credit.”

As Florio mentioned, there’s been nothing to suggest New England wants to squabble with its former head coach. The Patriots have bigger fish to fry, including the development of a first-year head coach and a highly drafted rookie quarterback.

The sides have gone their separate ways, and while the break might not have been wholly pleasant, it doesn’t seem like a strung-out ordeal is on the horizon.