That didn’t take too long. Mere hours after six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick became a free agent, we can cross the Washington Commanders off the list of potential destinations.
Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report indicates that the Commanders are close to hiring a new general manager and are going to go in a different direction than Belichick at head coach.
The report mentions San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters and Ian Cunningham. The latter holds the same position with the Chicago Bears.
There is a whole heck of a lot to look at here.
First off, a report after Belichick and the Patriots mutually agreed to part ways indicated that he wants full player personnel control within a new organization. With Washington set to hire a new general manager before bringing in a head coach, it’s rather obvious that’s not going to happen.
It is somewhat surprising in that the Commanders were heavily linked to Belichick before his departure from the Patriots became official. The thought process was that newish owner Josh Harris wanted to make a splash. While that could still happen, Belichick is unlikely to land with the Commanders.
All of this comes after former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers was surprisingly brought on to lead the search for a new head coach and general manager. This move happened in concert with head coach Ron Rivera and GM Martin Mayhew being fired on Monday.
Related: 5 Washington Commanders coaching candidates after Ron Rivera fired
With Bill Belichick out, where do the Washington Commanders go?
Myers and the new general manager will have major say in who is brought in. When looking at Peters and Cunningham, both are seen as up-and-comers around the NFL.
In particular, Peters has been a GM candidate in each of the past few cycles. The 44-year-old California native actually started his career as a scout for the New England Patriots under Belichick from 2003-08. He has been with the San Francisco 49ers’ organization since the 2017 season.
Current Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has been bandied about as a potential head coach candidate this cycle. He worked with Peters in Northern California from 2017-22. Current 49ers defensive coordintor Steve Wilks could also be an option if we’re reading between the lines.
As for Cunningham, he has experience with the Baltimore Ravens (2008-16), Philadelphia Eagles (2017-21) and Chicago Bears (2022-present). He worked with current Detroit Lions offensive coordinator and top head coach candidate Brian Johnson in Philadelphia.
This might not amount to much. Sure, general managers like to bring in those they are comfortable with. Two of the names we mentioned above are legit head coach candidates.
But there are a ton of other options out there. If Harris is still looking to make a splash, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is seemingly headed back to the NFL.
What we do know is that it’s highly unlikely Bill Belichick makes his way to the Washington Commanders based on this most-recent information in a day filled with a ton of news around the NFL.