Teams hating their division rivals is nothing new, however, can this hate grow so strong that a team will get in the way of the other by disrupting their draft moves?The accusation from an anonymous NFL General Manager against New England Patriots Head Coach, Bill Belichick, of sabotaging the draft plans of his AFC rival, New York Jets have caused a stir in the NFL community, proving the hidden division rivalry among the football teams.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick made draft maneuver to hose the Jets’ plan
Two front-office NFL executives including an NFL GM, in speaking with the Washington Post anonymously, pointed out the trade of the Georgia offensive lineman Broderick Jones was purposefully done by the Patriots coach Bill Belichick to prevent their rival Jets from acquiring a top-tier talent of need.
After trading for four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers in the days prior to the draft, everyone knew the Jets needed an offensive tackle to help protect their veteran quarterback, with their main target Broderick still available on the board.
However, Belichick didn’t let the plan become successful as he shipped the No. 14 pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the No. 17 pick with a fourth-rounder, letting the Steelers snag the Georgia offensive lineman, just one spot ahead of the Jets, per The Washington Post.
With all the top offensive tackle prospects off the board, the Jets later drafted Iowa State defensive end, Will McDonald.
Pittsburgh’s easy access to Jones raised the eyebrows of the anonymous GM and he blamed the Patriots coach for deliberately trading Jones to the Steelers in a comparatively low deal to screw over Gang Green.
“They should have had to give up a [third-rounder] and not a four to move up there. Belichick did it just to f— the Jets. He sold low because he knew the Steelers were going to take the kid the Jets wanted to take … I think the trade totally blindsided them. They were scrambling”, he said.
The other anonymous executive went on to say the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach had everything on his mind and he would go to any extent to take a dig at his rival.
“Bill will try to screw them over any chance he gets. He knew exactly what he was doing”, the person said.
Do you believe Belichick agreed to the trade with the Steelers to disrupt the Jets’ draft pick? You can share your thoughts with us in the comment section
