Did Belichick consider multiple job openings in 2018 offseason? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Maybe Bill Belichick and Tom Brady will open up one day about their final few seasons together in New England.
If they do, it sounds like they'll have some stories to tell.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
ESPN's Seth Wickersham published a lengthy expose in January 2018 detailing a Patriots power struggle between Belichick, Brady and team owner Robert Kraft exacerbated by New England's decision to trade Brady's backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, to the San Francisco 49ers at the 2017 NFL trade deadline.
Appearing this week on The Harrison Vapnek Podcast, Wickersham offered more detail about what went down in the 2018 offseason after the Patriots lost Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Patriots Talk Podcast: A deep dive into Bill Belichick's draft strategy | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube"At the time, I think there was a sense that Brady wasn't going anywhere and Bill left the impression that he might be open to a move," Wickersham said. "There were some reports that came out at the time that the (New York) Giants were looking at him. I think he talked to the Washington Football Team and the (Miami) Dolphins about sort of their openings.
U.S. & World
"And it was unclear whether he was interested or not, but he was still talking to them and subsequent reporting has only sort of shown how in that offseason, Brady skipped the offseason program for the first time in his career and he had just kind of had enough."
According to Wickersham, not only did the Giants have interest in hiring Belichick -- who spent over a decade in New York as an assistant coach and eventual defensive coordinator -- but the Patriots coach also spoke to Washington and Miami.
While Belichick and Brady haven't gone on record about any disagreements, it sounds like the head coach was mulling a change after losing his Brady heir apparent in Garoppolo.
The two finally split two years later when Brady left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, but it's remarkable that the Patriots were able to rise above any internal drama in 2018 to win Super Bowl LIII.
