NFL analyst rips Bill Belichick for signing Ezekiel Elliott and hurting Patriots offense - "He has lost his damn mind"

The New England Patriots signed Ezekiel Elliott on a one-year deal. He will get a $3 million base salary, a $1 million signing bonus, and up to $6 million incentives.

His addition will bolster the Patriots running attack featuring Rhamondre Stevenson and Ty Montgomery II.

Last season, Ezekiel Elliott had decent numbers of 876 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, his declining production and cap hit prompted the Dallas Cowboys to release him during the 2023 off-season.

That the Patriots picked him up made one NFL analyst question Bill Belichick’s decision.

Jason McIntyre cannot understand the Ezekiel Elliott signing

McIntyre is an associate of Colin Cowherd. He has been a mainstay in FS1’s "The Herd" and works in The Volume Podcast Network.

He said in a recent episode of his "Straight Fire Podcast":

"Bill Belichick has lost his damn mind. He is grasping at straws. He went out a couple of years back and was like, 'I'm getting Cam. I'm gonna resurrect Cam Newton.' Did not quite work out."

Belichick signed the former NFL Most Valuable Player to a one-year deal after Tom Brady left the Patriots. It didn’t pan out well, as New England finished with a 7-9 record.

McIntyre continued:

"A year later, they draft Mac Jones. Sayonara, Cam Newton. Now, they're just taking a flier on Zeke Elliott. Like, if you're taking Zeke Elliott here to be your backup running back on the cheap, and you overpaid JuJu Smith-Schuster, and you grabbed Mike Gesicki, who could not block me coming off the edge."

Even with Smith-Schuster’s signing and DeVante Parker’s contract extension, the New England Patriots lack a wide receiver with the speed to become a legitimate deep threat.

All of their division rivals in the AFC East have that player, starting with Garrett Wilson for the New York Jets.

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills have Stefon Diggs, while the Miami Dolphins feature Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

The Fox Sports betting analyst ended his opinion by fearing the worst for the Patriots, even after adding Ezekiel Elliott:

"The New England Patriots right now are in a world of hurt offensively. This is definitely, unequivocally, the worst team in the AFC East. And there's a world where this is a six or seven-win team max in a stacked AFC."

Is Bill Belichick on the way out?

No one’s questioning the legacy of success Belichick imparted to the Patriots. He guided them to six Super Bowl titles, 17 division titles, and 18 playoff appearances.

Unfortunately, the signs indicate that the franchise might be better off making a change as head coach. The Patriots haven't won a playoff game since 2019 when they won Super Bowl LIII over the Los Angeles Rams. They also had losing records in two of the last three seasons.

Therefore, Bill Belichick’s seat burns the hottest in 2023. Team owner Robert Kraft might fire him after another disappointing finish. Perhaps even with Ezekiel Elliott, that might be the case.