NEW ORLEANS — There is a longstanding joke around Gillette Stadium: If you want to see Bill Belichick gush, ask him about Ravens safety Ed Reed. And it’s not a joke just among media members; Tom Brady once quipped that Belichick was going to kidnap Reed and make him his son, “Ed Belichick.”

The 34-year-old Reed is slated to become a free agent after this season, and assuming he wants to keep playing — he has wrestled with the idea in recent years — it’s hard to think Belichick won’t make a run at signing the object of his affection.