With Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco officially out of the picture, the LA Chargers begin the process of finding the team's next head coach to lead them in a new era. With things not going so well in New England and speculation that the Patriots have already decided to move on, Bill Belichick has emerged as a potential candidate for the vacant Chargers head coaching position.
Belichick isn't just a candidate to be the team's next head coach, however. If he were to get the same role that he currently has on the Patriots, then he would also operate as the team's general manager. The Chargers could theoretically kill two birds with one stone, having Belichick coach with roster control under team president John Spanos.
This may sound like a great plan for many Chargers fans. After all, Belichick is arguably the greatest head coach of all time and has won six Super Bowls. Bringing the "Patriot Way" to Los Angeles would definitely change the culture of the franchise. However, as is everything in the crazy world of the NFL, the situation is not that black and white.
Bill Belichick the GM would be a bad hire for the LA Chargers
If the only way to get Belichick is to give him the same roster control that he has in New England then the Chargers need to move on to other options. If Belichick is willing to just coach then great, but chances are that Belichick is going to want to retain that level of power on a new team.
Belichick the GM has been awful. If you think Tom Telesco's last 10 years of drafting have been bad just go look at the Patriots' recent draft history. In the last 10 drafts, Belichick has taken just three Pro Bowl played: guard Joe Thuney (who left in free agency), punter Jake Bailey, and quarterback Mac Jones (who is a questionable Pro Bowler and is already getting booed out of New England).
Belichick's first-round picks in that time span are as followed: Dominique Easley, Malcom Brown, Isaiah Wynn, Sony Michel, K'Neal Harry, Mac Jones, Cole Strange, and Christian Gonzalez. When the best pick of that bunch is Gonzalez, who has played four career games, then you know it is a bad outlook.
The draft has been bad, free agency has been bad, and as a result, the Patriots have a roster that is among the worst in the league. Belichick is a great coach and has been able to elevate a bad defensive unit talent-wise into a good (not great) unit. Offensively, though, it has been a mess. Just look at the skill position players that Jones has had to throw to in his career.
And let's not even start with the coaching staff. Whether it be giving all of his former coaches a second chance or hiring his son, the Patriots' coaching staff has been an absolute joke. This team had Matt Patricia, yes, MATT PATRICIA, calling the offense in 2022.
Belichick is the greatest coach of all time, but he is also past his prime. Both things can be true. Since Tom Brady left, Belichick is 20-25. Brady won a Super Bowl, Belichick hasn't won a playoff game since 2018.
Belichick is 72 years old and at this point in his career, the only thing he is chasing is the all-time wins record. With a terrible track record of roster decisions, and less-than-ideal coaching staffs, fans need to realize that the Chargers wouldn't be hiring the Bill Belichick that they think they are hiring.