Reporter suggests possible career change for Patriots' Bill Belichick

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may not find himself unemployed for long if he and the organization part ways following what could be a rather disappointing season for all involved. 

For a piece published Friday, media reporter Richard Deitsch of The Athletic suggested Belichick could follow in the footsteps of former players such as Tom Brady and enter the world of broadcasting as either an NFL studio or in-game analyst. 

One agent told Deitsch that Belichick could earn anywhere from $8M-$15M per year as a studio analyst if networks entered "a bidding war" for the coach's services. Two other agents predicted Belichick could make $15M-$20M per season if he was able to land a top game analyst job, a gig not currently available at CBS, NBC, Fox or Amazon. 

It was rumored throughout the summer that Belichick could end up on the "hot seat" if New England endured another losing season. Heading into the Week 6 game at the Las Vegas Raiders, the 1-4 Patriots seem to be an absolute mess and a team that could be on the verge of a significant reset if the franchise decides to move on from at least quarterback Mac Jones as soon as this winter. 

Former tight end and current Fox lead NFL analyst Greg Olsen told Deitsch that Belichick could be "very fascinating as an analyst" due to the coach's knowledge coupled with his personality that, for better or for worse, has entertained fans over the years. 

"He’s probably one of (my) favorite production meetings I ever had," Olsen said about Belichick. "I remember we had the Patriots my first year with Fox. I was like, 'It’s Bill Belichick, make sure you don’t ask stupid questions.' He couldn’t have been more engaging. He couldn’t have been more patient. He couldn’t have spent more time and been more interesting and thoughtful. I could have talked to him for three hours and not run out of things that I was interested in."

It's unknown if Patriots owner Robert Kraft would actually fire Belichick this winter and if the 71-year-old would welcome a career change at this point in his life. Deitsch mentioned that Belichick could work as part of a three-person booth, and such a trio theoretically could include none other than Brady assuming the seven-time Super Bowl champion becomes a Fox employee in 2024.