It was 2002, and the former second-round pick had just turned 30. He was a free agent for the first time in his career, on the verge of a decent payday, but he had endured countless ankle injuries, and his primary goal was to protect his body for the long term. Bill Belichick did not seem like the guy to do it.

Belichick avoided the rows of radio reporters in the hotel lobby and spent much of the morning in a hallway outside the green room for players and coaches, down the hall from private rooms for interviews with ESPN.com, SiriusXM and the ACC Digital Network.