The New England Patriots are known for signing aging star players and taking advantage of every last ounce of good football they have left, but Nick Mangold doesn’t envision himself being the next one. Why? Because he doesn’t think Bill Belichick likes him.
In an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio Tuesday, Mangold was asked about the possibility of signing with the Patriots.
“That would be awfully difficult,” he said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “I’ve got to assume that after years of all the battles that I’ve had with New England, I don’t think Bill’s all that fond of me.”
Mangold, of course, spent the first 11 years of his career with the New York Jets. There is obviously some mutual hostility between Belichick and the team he once resigned from a day after being hired, but The Hoodie is arguably the best coach in NFL history because he always tries to do what’s best for the team.
Heck, the Patriots signed Darrelle Revis and went on to win a Super Bowl with him, and look at some of the things the All-Pro cornerback said about Belichick and Tom Brady before he landed in New England.
If the Patriots show no interest in Mangold, it will be because the seven-time Pro Bowler — who is 33 and nearing the end of his career — is not a fit. Whether or not Belichick is “fond” of Mangold as a former Jet means nothing.
