Capping a week in which legendary football coaches Pete Carroll and Nick Saban tearfully announced their sidelines, the greatest player in NFL history will leave the team he led to six Super Bowl championships. admitted.
But his press conference with Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft to say goodbye to the Patriots was not as definitive as his fellow legendary coach.
Speculation quickly arose as to where the 71-year-old Belichick would be next, with NFL teams already having coaching vacancies and at least one vague “mystery team,” according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. There are certainly some interesting possibilities to consider. That still hasn't changed (yes, Scott Boras' classic approach to MLB free agency!).
Obviously, the Giants and Jets qualify under this heading, and both teams who missed the playoffs include Don Shula and George, who rank third all-time in the league with 302 regular-season wins. There is a long history with the person next to Halas.
Calm down, I'm not saying either team is going there, but for the purposes of this newsletter, let's at least explain their position.
Of course, Belichick's connection to the Giants conjures only positive memories for the Mara family and fan base, but as longtime Post Beat writer Paul Schwartz reported, Big Blue's current coach Brian Belichick, who was the defensive coordinator on two Super Bowl-winning teams under coach Bill Parcells, who is not expected to abandon Daboll and pursue a reunion for the first time in decades.
Unlike their personal struggles with the Jets over the past quarter-century, the Giants defeated Belichick and Tom Brady's Pats twice in the Super Bowl, including on their way to a perfect 19-0 season in 2007-08. That includes ending the New England quest.
Belichick's history with the Jets also features a one-day stint as head coach of the New York J.League before successfully taking the same job with the Patriots on January 4, 2000.
Ironically, Robert Saleh and the Jets finally ended their losing streak at 15 in New England's last game on the sideline against Belichick. But this meaningless victory doesn't end Parker's 24-year advantage in winning the AFC East title, which was a lopsided 17-1 in Belichick's favor.
Jets fans will no doubt be happy to see Belichick move to the NFC for his next move, and the Falcons and Commanders will have an early start after firing Arthur Smith and Ron Rivera, respectively, earlier this week. He emerged as a winning candidate.
The Chargers are also among seven teams currently with openings after firing Brandon Staley on Dec. 15, but Hollywood may not be an obvious match for Belichick's less-than-stellar personality. .
A move to Atlanta would certainly be interesting, seven years after Belichick and Brady pulled off a historic comeback against the Falcons from a 28-3 halftime deficit in Super Bowl LI.
Hiring the future Hall of Famer would also be a flashy move for Washington's new owner Josh Harris, and locally for Belichick, the divisional rivalry from the Jets to the Giants in the final years of his career has changed. I will be moving.
It's probably the most entertaining and realistic storyline for Belichick, who will soon remain in the central consciousness of New York sports, as he has been for decades.
Today's back page
Strike, huh?
The Yankees filled a hole in their starting rotation by signing former Mets right-hander and Long Island native Marcus Stroman to a two-year contract worth $37 million with a player option in 2026.
Still, Post Baseball columnist Joel Sherman dissected the move, saying that signing Stroman was a big deal compared to the Yankees trading for White Sox ace Dylan Schiess and, most notably, trading for two-time pitcher Pitcher. He wrote that it does not necessarily prevent him from attracting attention with new pitching, such as free agent contracts. Young winner Blake Snell.
With the addition of the 32-year-old Stroman, a 2023 All-Star with the Cubs, the Yankees' five-man starting staff now includes current AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole, Stroman and Nestor. Cortes, Carlos Rodon, and Clark Schmidt.
By avoiding Thursday's arbitration with all eligible players, including star outfielder Juan Soto, who was acquired for a record $31 million, the addition of another front-end starter will help them come out of their worst season. For the Yankees, the offseason's big takeaway could be even better. (82 wins, 80 losses) as they averaged 91 losses from 1990 to 1992.
Everyone's good buddy
Wednesday's passing of Miracle Mets shortstop Buddy Harrelson, a member of the team's Hall of Fame, was a sad day for those of us who knew him for more than 50 years in New York baseball (via Mike Vaccaro of The Post) (including memorials)).
A personal anecdote I wrote about Harrelson during the independent Long Island Ducks' first season in 2000, when he was co-owner and the team's field manager.
Harrelson and I were sitting in the dugout during batting practice for a one-on-one interview when Harrelson said to me, “Let's go for a walk.''
We went over the outfield wall at Ducks Stadium in Central Islip, and Harrelson picked up a baseball that had been hit with a home run during BP.
Harrelson, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016, didn't hesitate to try to save a few bucks for his fledgling Atlantic League team.
After a 16-year career that included one Gold Glove Award and two All-Star appearances as a light-hitting shortstop, he went on to reach the World Series with the Mets as a player in 1969 and as third base coach in 1986.
score board
Mavericks 128, Knicks 124: You can't win everything! The Knicks (22-16) ended their winning streak in Dallas at five, thanks to the deft performance of Kyrie Irving (44 points). The Knicks were up by 19 points at 6:15 and trailed by 10 points with three minutes left, but were within one point. However, on a crucial possession in the final minutes of the game, the Mavs grabbed three straight offensive rebounds and then made a dagger three. Back in Dallas, Jalen Brunson had 30 points and eight assists, and Julius Randle had a team-high 32 points.
Blues 5, Rangers 2: The Blueshirts lost their third straight game for the first time this season despite having a lopsided 42-20 advantage in shots on goal. Let's call it a slump. The district lead against the Hurricanes has been reduced to three points. Mika Zibanejad was scratched late due to illness, but that didn't help. For the Blues, Jordan Kyrou scored a hat trick and Pavel Buchnevich (remember him?) scored three goals.
Islanders 4, Maple Leafs 3 (OT): Contrary to their pattern all season, this time the Isles rallied from a 3-1 deficit (goals from Alexander Romanov and Bo Horvat), and Mathieu Barzal scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Lane Lambert's line shuffle was the story here. He separated Barzal and Horvat and returned Barzal to center.
Cavaliers 111, Nets 102: Conspiracy-minded people believe Donovan Mitchell's 45-point performance in Paris was an audition before Nets decision-makers to consider offers for the 2025 free agent candidate. You might think. Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 26 points each.
What we're reading 👀
The Mets avoided arbitration with Pete Alonso and agreed to pay the slugger $20.5 million in 2024, his year of walks.
🏈 The Post's Phil Mushnick criticizes the NFL's decision to broadcast Saturday night's playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins on the subscription app Peacock.
🏈 The Giants already have a new offensive coach.
⚽ Introducing the Red Bulls' new star, veteran Swedish attacking midfielder Emil Forsberg.
🏀 The game where the Bucks beat the Celtics wasn't good for TV.
🏆 Have you heard the story about how ESPN used fake names to win extra Emmys?
