Bill Belichick just exposed how blue state politics are haunting some teams

In any conversation about the best coaches in the history of the NFL, one name cannot be excluded – Bill Belichick.

The legendary head coach of the New England Patriots was known for making the most out of the least.

And now Belichick is suggesting that was a necessity after exposing how blue state politics are haunting some NFL teams.

NFL stars keep more of their own money in red states

During the NFL offseason, the Tampa Buccaneers rewarded their signal caller, Baker Mayfield, for having a career year last season.

The quarterback threw for 28 touchdown passes, 4,044 passing yards and a 64.3% completion rate, all career highs.

He also made the pro-bowl for the first time in his career, clinched and NFC South division crown and won a playoff game for the Buccaneers.

For this success, the Bucs decided to officially make Mayfield their successor to Tom Brady.

Tampa Bay signed Mayfield to a new three-year contract extension, worth up to $115-Million and with $50-Million of it guaranteed.

Bucs General Manager Jason Licht explained how by resigning to stay in Tampa, Mayfield was making more than if he signed for the same amount elsewhere – saying the state of Florida was one of his key selling points in the negotiations.

“No state taxes,” Licht summed up. “I use that one a lot.”

Mayfield agreed, keeping more of the money he earns played a deciding factor.

“That’s a good point,” Mayfield replied.

If Mayfield had signed the same contract with his old team, the Los Angeles Rams, it would have been worth about $12.5-Million less than it is on the Gulf Coast of the Sunshine State.

The Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, and Las Vegas Raiders enjoy the same state income tax-free advantage that the Bucs enjoy.

Bill Belichick sacks “Taxachusetts”

But the New England Patriots certainly do not.

The Pats play in Massachusetts, and former New England head coach Bill Belichick believes that location was a handicap for his old team.

The future Hall of Famer coach was recently a guest on the Pat McAfee show.

The subject of taxes came up and how it impacts the game – and, as he’s known to do, Belichick wasn’t bashful about sharing his opinions.

“That’s Taxachusetts for you,” Belichick said. “Virtually every player, even the practice squad, even the minimum players are pretty close to $1 million. Once you hit the $1 million threshold, you pay more state tax in Massachusetts.”

Boston Globe columnist Bill Speros added more context about the disadvantage Boston-area teams carry.

“Even though all players pay state taxes whenever they play in a state like Massachusetts, New York, or Pennsylvania,” Speros tweeted. “The big difference is that if you’re a member of the Patriots but live in Florida or Tennessee, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue will still consider Massachusetts your domicile state and want to tax your entire income here. That is the killer.”

Back to Belichick, he believes the high taxes make it difficult for the Patriots to land high profile free agents.

During his two dozen years in New England, Belichick had a unique way of adding players to the team.

He scouted for overlooked role players, value drafts with lots of picks, and trades.