The biggest storyline surrounding the LA Chargers right now is the sub-par performance of the team and how it reflects head coach Brandon Staley. Many Chargers fans want to see the team move on sooner rather than later but have accepted that Staley will likely be let go if the team misses the playoffs.
History says that Staley still might get a fourth season but that has not stopped fans from dreaming over who will be the next head coach in LA. There are several compelling possible candidates with the most surprising being New England's Bill Belichick.
The Patriots have not been great this season under Belichick and it has left many wondering if his tenure with the team is coming to a close. Despite there being reports that he just signed an extension, there is legitimate speculation that he could leave and that the Chargers would be the favorite to hire him.
Hiring one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history has seemed like a pipe dream for many. However, after an old clip of Belichick praising Herbert has re-emerged, fans are starting to buy into the potential reality of Belichick coming to LA.
Bill Belichick & Justin Herbert pic.twitter.com/49mNuW4Wqd
— Chargers Country (@ChargersCountry) November 24, 2023
It is worth noting that this interview clip is from the last time the Chargers and Patriots played each other in October of 2021.
Bill Belichick praising Justin Herbert doesn't mean anything for the Chargers
While it is fun to dream about the idea of Belichick coming to LA and fixing the problems that Brandon Staley has created, this clip should do absolutely nothing for Chargers fans and should be taken with a grain of salt.
The idea for optimistic fans is that Belichick respects Herbert so much that he might want to coach him next season. While Belichick undoubtedly has respect for Herbert (it would be very hard to find any coach who doesn't) that does not mean anything about his future intentions.
Belichick notoriously compliments players on opposing teams before playing them, even when they do not deserve it. If a reporter is going to ask about the strengths of a player then Belichick is going to answer like the football encyclopedia that he is. That is all this clip is.
In reality, the odds of Belichick actually being the next head coach of the Chargers are slim to none. As bad as it has been with New England, the fact that it was reported that he signed an extension should be telling. This is the greatest head coach of this generation. Robert Kraft is not going to just kick him to the curb.
If there even was a chance that Belichick and Kraft wanted to move on it would likely take some kind of trade. And if the Chargers showed us anything with the Sean Payton situation, ownership is not willing to trade assets and pay big money for a head coach.
Maybe the Spanos family can surprise us all and go against the grain. But knowing how this team operates, Belichick is nothing more than a far-fetched pipe dream for the Bolts.