Bill Belichick explains how Chiefs likely won’t lose draft pick in Josh Uche trade
What better person to ask about what the Chiefs can expect from outside linebacker Josh Uche than his former coach?
The Chiefs acquired Uche in a trade Monday with the New England Patriots, and Bill Belichick spoke about the pass rush specialist on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“Look, Josh Uche is a really good rusher,” Belichick said. “He hasn’t had a chance to rush much this year for the Patriots, because they’ve been behind a lot. And the situation hasn’t been good. But he had a big year two years ago. He had (Matthew) Judon on the other side of him, so it was two good pass rushers. But he’ll have a lot of opportunities to rush in Kansas City.
“I think that he’ll really help them. He’s got surprising power for his size. He’s got excellent quickness and a good get off, and he has some flexibility in coverage. So I think it’s a good addition for a team that needs another pass rusher, which everybody does. Josh can do that. He’ll definitely help them.”
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti shared a post on X that said the Chiefs are taking on just $1 million of Uche’s contract. He will become a free agent after the season.
The Chiefs sent New England a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Belichick explained why that means the Chiefs essentially gave up nothing for Uche, who had 11 1/2 sacks in the 2022 season.
“When you have a good team, I think if you can acquire an asset without giving up a lot, that’s a good move,” he said. “Uche is at the end of his contract this year. He’ll be a free agent. If they don’t re-sign him, then they’ll get a comp pick, which would probably be a sixth anyway. So really, they didn’t give up anything other than they would have to wait a year to get that pick back.
“I assume it was a ‘25 six (sixth-round pick in 2025 Draft). If it was a ‘26 six (sixth-round pick in 2026), then honestly, they didn’t give up anything in my mind. And then, if you like the player, and re-sign them, then you re-sign them.”
Belichick talked a bit about the trades the Chiefs have made in the past two weeks. The other was wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who came over from the Tennessee Titans.
“Hopkins, I mean, this guy’s a dependable catcher,” Belichick said. “He’s probably not what he was, but he’s still a force. He’s a hard guy to cover. He’s great in zone coverage. He’s got great hands. He’s a great red-area receiver and (on) third-down conversions. So if he picks up one or two third downs and makes a play in the red area, he’s going to help you in every game. I think it’s a great move.
“He’s hungry. He hasn’t played in a big game in a long time, and I’m sure he’s excited to get back into the action and playing in games that are really important. So that’s two good players that honestly I don’t think they gave up very much for. And in the end they’ll probably be able to get back for Uche whatever they put into it.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 9:47 AM.
