Wednesday's Latest #LongRead From ESPN.com, the following claims are all about Belichick: As previously mentionedcan and should have its own heading.
“If the Falcons had hired Belichick, the reported $25 million in annual salary that Kraft owes Belichick next season would have been offset by: [Falcons owner Arthur] Blank,” ESPN.com writes.
Neither claim is true, according to a league source familiar with Belichick's contract and separation agreement with the Patriots.
As for the first part, it might be the technical part. Highly compensated coaches often receive a salary officially from their team and informally from an affiliated company. This keeps the overall coaching salary curve under control.
As for the second part, I'll leave it to others to report the actual information. All we know is that whatever amount the Patriots owe Belichick in 2024 would not have been offset dollar for dollar.
This specific report comes alongside broader claims that Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave Blank negative information about Belichick, which influenced Blank's decision not to hire Belichick. . Why couldn't Kraft avoid some of his financial obligations to Belichick if Belichick took another job?
The two claims are contradictory. The only plausible explanation is that Kraft intended to fulfill all of his obligations to Belichick in order to prevent Belichick from thriving with the Falcons.
Will Mr. Kraft try to avoid paying Mr. Belichick to hinder Mr. Belichick's work? Frankly, that seems highly unlikely.
