Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Damiere Byrd is also former New England Patriots wide receiver Damiere Byrd. So, he knows a thing or two about Bill Belichick.
Byrd, in fact, had a feeling that the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach was going to claim an old teammate of his . . .
Buy Panthers TicketsI knew Bill was gonna claim Corral 😂
— Damiere Byrd (@LookIn_Da_Miere) August 31, 2023
On Thursday, the Patriots hit up the waiver wire to claim Corral—who was let go by the Panthers the previous afternoon. And even despite waiving the 24-year-old quarterback, both head coach Frank Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer were hoping to get him back in the building.
Alas, Belichick did the Belichick thing and swooped in on the player he helped get to Carolina in the first place. The Panthers’ trade-up for the Ole Miss star in the 2022 draft was facilitated by New England, who gave up the 94th overall pick in exchange for 137th selection and a 2023 third-rounder.
Fast forward just over a year later and the Patriots have every single part of that deal—Corral, Bailey Zappe and linebacker Marte Mapu. And Byrd, who probably wasn’t the only one who sensed the move, apparently knew it all along.
