Is the NFL’s emperor lurking?
With the Carolina Panthers on the hunt for their third head coach in as many seasons and Bill Belichick seemingly on the outs in New England, there may be a possibility for an unlikely union in Charlotte. Joe Person of The Athletic wrote the following about owner David Tepper’s search following Sunday’s season finale:
Tepper likes to swing big, so don’t rule out Bill Belichick if he and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft cut ties. I’m told Belichick has asked others about Tepper and the Panthers’ situation. But like Johnson, Belichick figures to have other opportunities.
The Johnson Person is referring to is, of course, Ben—the offensive coordinator for the NFC North champion Detroit Lions. Johnson, by many accounts, is still the perceived apple of Tepper’s eye.
But could the league’s least successful owner, at least to this point, be interested in turning around his franchise’s fate with the league’s most successful coach?
Belichick, per FOX’s Jay Glazer, is nearing an end in New England. The 71-year-old has spent 24 seasons heading the Patriots, a run highlighted by six Super Bowl championships.
He’s not the young coach Tepper is looking to employ for 20 years, nor is he even the offensive-minded one. He is, however, the winningest mind in the history of the game—and that might be worth something.
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