Everyone around the NFL wants to know where Bill Belichick will wind up.
The six-time champion head coach of the New England Patriots could leave that organization and be jobless for the first time in more than two decades. But where he should go is an open question.
That question was posed by Dan Patrick to Rich Eisen on Wednesday. Eisen suggested the Washington Commanders, with new ownership and an open spot for a star quarterback to join Belichick.
But Eisen also argued that it wouldn’t hurt to have Belichick’s Commanders in the NFC East. That would mean playing on Thanksgiving every few years and getting prime broadcast windows in the Fox 4 p.m. ET slot most weeks.
“Let him go against Dallas twice a year, on Thanksgiving once in a while, let him go into Philadelphia, and try and bring the Commanders back to prominence in late windows on Fox as much as possible,” Eisen said on The Dan Patrick Show. “If you’re the league, I think that’s where you would pinpoint his location.”
Certainly the NFL has tried to build that Fox afternoon slot into its own national window with “America’s Game of the Week.” Eastern time zone teams like New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia aren’t perfect for that window, but the league schedules them there to maximize viewership for the Cowboys.
Philadelphia may fire its coach, but the level of control Belichick could likely have makes the Commanders appealing.
Belichick coaching the Giants or Cowboys is probably too good to be true for the NFL.
So as NFL Network host Eisen explained, the league and its partners at Fox may have to settle for Belichick in Washington.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.