Belichick at it again?

The “Hoodie” might be at it again.

Bill Belichick, New England Patriots head coach and habitual recipient of Christmas cards from Indianapolis Colts fans, ruffled some football feathers with a brow-raising trade over the weekend.

This week, Belichick has been accused of getting a little too buddy-buddy with former New England front office mate and current Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli after trading quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for a second-round draft pick.

The problem, it seems, is the Patriots didn’t get a whole lot in return for Cassel, a quarterback who started 15 games and won 11 of them last season, or Vrabel, a consistently strong defensive presence for the team – especially given the fact that the Chiefs lay claim to the third pick in the coming NFL draft.

Instead, the Patriots walked away with the 34th pick.

The potential problem is that the hooded sweatshirt-wearing Belichick – it’s not known if he possesses another form of clothing – could have possibly given Pioli and the Chiefs a sweet deal without merit that, per NFL rules, might be seen as collusion.

All of this, of course, comes on the heels of “Spygate” from 2008, when the Patriots organization was, for all intents and purposes, let off easier than Paris Hilton in a Los Angeles courtroom for illicitly videotaping opposing sidelines.

To complicate matters, ESPN reported the Denver Broncos tried to swing a three-way deal (no, Kelvin Sampson wasn’t on the phone) with the Patriots and Tampa Bay to land Cassel and ship quarterback Jay Cutler to Tampa while the Patriots picked up draft picks. 

So not only did Kansas City’s Pioli get a nice deal while attempting to revive an organization that has failed to win 23 of its last 25 games, but it appears other teams were in the market for Cassel – something that’s not hard to understand out considering the shortage of quality quarterbacks in the league.

I’ll admit, there are a few aspects of the Patriots-Chiefs trade that seem legitimate, but I feel like Belichick pulled the trigger much too soon. 

With some guy named Tom Brady (did you hear he and Gisele finally got hitched? Like, OMG!) slated to return to the 2009 Patriots lineup, Cassel was going to weigh far too heavily on that organization financially. And Vrabel, while a solid player for the past eight seasons, is looking at the final year of his contact with the team.

Had the Patriots waited to move the linebacker after 2009, his value would likely have been significantly lower.

The Pats have also made a living lately – a living to the tune of three Super Bowl rings – with draft picks in the middle rounds. It’s a known fact that the best return for the least investment comes in the middle rounds of the draft, so adding another selection just after the first round means good talent for an affordable price.

Regardless, the market for Cassel and Vrabel seemed to hold a lot more value than the Patriots found in return. Was it a fair deal for all parties involved? I’d probably dispute that.

However, the only way that we’ll get some kind of resolution to this is if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell glances away from his time spent on the league’s troublemakers to do some investigating.

And judging by the way that process turned out during Spygate – afterwards, Goodell lightened Belichick’s wallet and applied some paltry wrist slaps – we’re not going to see much happen.

The “Hoodie” must definitely be at it again.