Bill Belichick Replacing Andy Reid? Adam Schefter Can't Help but Wonder

While it once seemed unthinkable that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots would part ways, we're now looking at an even more unlikely scenario: the hoodie-wearing head coach not prowling the sidelines at all.

Links to the Atlanta Falcons, which seemed like a legitimate landing spot, have largely gone cold. And as teams around the league make their moves, there are fewer and fewer open jobs for Belichick to fill.

But, what about a team that currently has a head coach under contract, like the Kansas City Chiefs?

That's exactly the scenario that Adam Schefter wondered about on ESPN's Get Up.

"The only thing I would just say and, again, and this is purely speculative: I want to be very clear. And we're just throwing this out there, having some fun, but we've heard over and over about the possibility that, at some point in time, Andy Reid could walk away from football," Schefter said.

He went on: "So if the Chiefs were to win the Super Bowl this year, could that, would that, make him more likely to walk? And if he did walk, at that point in time and you're the Kansas City Chiefs and Bill Belichick were still sitting out there, would that not be an interesting possibility? If that's what Andy Reid decided to do.

"To go take a run at arguably the greatest coach of all time and to replace one legend with another? Again, we're having fun. We're throwing things out there, but it's interesting to watch if the Chiefs can find a way to win the Super Bowl," he said.

But even with Schefter's disclaimers, his words do carry weight. And that reality wasn't lost on Get Up host Mike Greenberg.

"Listen, you are, like, the fourth person who has said that to me, and you're by far the most important one who has said it to me," he said. "Everyone else who has said that to me and, again, everyone just speculating, 'Could Andy Reid be about to walk away?' Where there's a little bit of smoke, and if Schefty's willing to joke about it, it feels like there's a little bit of fire."

Greenberg also wondered, in a completely independent vein from Schefter, if the NFL was a bit Game of Thrones and those around the league were afraid to hire Belichick and tank their own authority.

And while the rumor of Big Red calling it a career isn't new, the coach didn't seem too interested in the topic.

"I haven't even thought about that. I'm thinking about one thing," Reid said ahead of the wild card date with the Dolphins, when he was asked if he'd be coaching the Chiefs next season. "I figured that would come up when you guys were asking these questions because I'm old—but not that old."

Is it possible someone who's nearing age 66 wants to retire, especially as a champion? Sure, but the timing still begs the question: Would a head coach who's in a successful stretch and working with one of the game's top quarterbacks decide to suddenly walk away? And if he wanted to hang up his headset, would he feel so strongly about doing it now and not when his contract expires in a couple of years?

But let's say that Big Red does retire. Would Belichick even fit in at Arrowhead?

On one hand, you can't not consider the living legend based on his body of work. Having that many Super Bowl rings automatically earns you a place on the candidate list. And with Patrick Mahomes under center, Belichick wouldn't have to worry about finding talent there.

On the other, though, there would be some concerns. First, would the Chiefs want to dramatically shift their organizational tone during this era of unprecedented success? Or would the club look for someone who would be less likely to upset the metaphorical apple cart, like Eric Bieniemy?

In a similar vein, Belichick (currently 71) is older than Reid, which suggests that he's a short-term hire. If you're the Chiefs and trying to keep a good thing rolling, stability could be an internal priority.

And then there's the issue of personnel control. General Manager Brett Veach hasn't been perfect, but he's done a good job of keeping the Chiefs rolling with talented (and, crucially, affordable) draft picks. He doesn't deserve a demotion, and we simply don't know how Belichick would fare without having a say about his own roster. And, if the former Patriots boss did get personnel control, it's unclear if he could keep the club's championship window open.

Again, Kansas City has been able to afford its star players by finding cost-effective talent through the draft.

But, as Schefter made clear, we're only dealing in hypotheticals and speculation at this point. If nothing else, though, the idea of Belichick putting on a Chiefs' hoodie is an interesting thought experiment.