Patriots ‘F***’ the Jets with Draft Trade by Bill Belichick
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The New England Patriots’ rivalry with the New York Jets goes deeper than just their shared presence in the AFC East. That old Bill Belichick contractual tug-of-war - with the coach himself serving as the rope - is still in play. And so …
"Belichick did it just to f*** the Jets," an anonymous NFL general manager said of the action-packed first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, which saw the Patriots send the No. 14 overall pick to the Steelers for the No. 17 pick and a fourth-rounder.
Obviously, the Pats had their own hopes and dreams and goals for their top pick, and at 17 hope to realize all of that with the selection of cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
But it is alleged that there is more to it for Belichick.
"Bill will try to screw them over any chance he gets," another general manager told Jason La Canfora. “He knew exactly what he was doing.”
As the story goes … The Jets were scheduled to pick at No. 15. The Pats seemingly believed was they wanted Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones. So Belichick made the deal, shifting the Steelers to the 14th pick, which they used on Jones.
All of the machinations led to the Jets selecting Iowa State defensive lineman Will McDonald IV. And maybe that will work out in a way that makes the Jets perfectly happy.
But if the tale is true: Belichick - though he might be reluctant to even crack a smile in public - might be among the happiest people involved in this series of moves.
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