The latest ESPN.com article entitled “All Things Belichick” raises a contentious claim that has captured the attention of football fans. According to the report, had the Falcons hired Belichick, Robert Kraft would have owed him an annual salary of $25 million, which would have been offset by Falcons owner Arthur Blank. However, a league source with knowledge of Belichick’s contract and separation agreement from the Patriots has refuted these claims.
It is not uncommon for highly-compensated coaches to receive official salaries from their team and unofficial compensation from related companies to control coaching-salary curves. This report suggests that Patriots owner Robert Kraft provided Blank with negative information about Belichick, leading Blank to decide not to hire him. However, the inconsistency in these claims raises questions about why Kraft would be willing to pay the full obligation to Belichick rather than potentially offsetting some of it if he had taken another job. It is unlikely that Kraft would go to such lengths to prevent Belichick from being successful with the Falcons by avoiding payment.
In summary, the conflicting claims in the report regarding Belichick’s potential salary with the Falcons and Kraft’s actions to prevent him from getting the job raise doubts about the accuracy of the information presented. It is unclear why Kraft would choose to pay the full obligation to Belichick rather than explore options to offset it if he had found employment elsewhere. The true motivations behind these actions remain unclear.