Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reportedly did not qualify for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.. The news Tuesday sent shockwaves throughout the NFL world with many grasping to understand why.
I can’t be reading this right.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 27, 2026
This has to be some knock-off Hall of Fame or something, it can’t be the actual NFL Hall of Fame.
There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer. https://t.co/OXhL1Sd4FM
Man there's no way I read that right! Right? Ain't no WAY Bill Belichick ain't 1st Ballot HOF!! That's IMPOSSIBLE, EGREGIOUS, and quite frankly DISRESPECTFUL!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 28, 2026
Bill Belichick not being a first ballot Hall of Famer means that no coach should ever be. It means that the voters have decided there isn’t a coaching resume that warrants First Ballot consideration!
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 27, 2026
He is the GREATEST, most ACCOMPLISHED coach of all time! This is egregious!
Belichick, who turned to college football and led the North Carolina Tar Hells in 2025, will have to wait until next year to convince at least 40 of 50 voting members of the enshrinement committee to get to Canton, Ohio.
But how does the man who commands GOAT status from fans, players and pundits alike get snubbed for an honor he very clearly deserves? Belichick's qualifications are unimpeachable... on paper.
Bill Belichick's resume: Better than Chuck Noll and Bill Parcells
The 73-year-old's accomplishments section on his Wikipedia page is longer than his biographical and coaching timeline combined. Let's dive into the eye-boggling numbers.
Championships & Awards
- Eight-time Super Bowl champion as an assistant and head coach (XXI, XXV, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI and LIII)
- Three-time AP Coach of the Year (2003, 2007 and 2010)
- Two-time NFL All-Decade Team (2000s & 2010s)
- NFL 100th Anniversary All-time Team
- Executive of the Year (2021)
Records
- Most Super Bowl wins all positions (8)
- Most Super Bowl wins as head coach (6)
- Most Super Bowl appearances all positions (12)
- Most Super Bowl appearances as head coach (9)
- Most playoff wins as head coach (31)
- Most division titles as head coach (17)
Belichick's total super bowl victories as a head coach beats Hall of Famers Chuck Noll (4) and Bill Parcells (2). The latter of which was Belichick's mentor and has him to thank for leading the New York Giants defenses in those two championship runs.
On top of all that, Belichick owned a 333-178 all-time record (.652) as an NFL head coach. He sits third all-time in regular season wins (302) behind only George Halas (318) and Don Shula (328), both Hall of Famers. His 31 postseason victories are 3 better than the next closest challenger, Kansas City's Andy Reid (28).
Why wasn't Bill Belichick a first-ballot Hall of Famer?
According to reporting done by ESPN's Adam Schefter, a source with knowledge of Belichick's thinking claimed "politics kept him out. He doesn't believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments."
Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not get inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot.
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) January 27, 2026
That comes despite him having the most Super Bowl wins, Super Bowl appearances and playoff wins by any head coach in NFL history. He won six Super Bowls… pic.twitter.com/nGHJgITslu
Schefter further reported that twin cheating scandals during Belichick's time as Patriots head coach - "Spygate" and "Deflategate" - came up in deliberations within the committee. An anonymous voter claimed former Bills & Colts GM Bill Polian, who also sits on the committee and is a Hall of Famer, told others Belichick should "wait a year" for induction as penance for those cheating scandals. Polian denied that account to ESPN.
"The only explanation [for his exclusion] was the cheating stuff," another voter told ESPN. "It really bothered some of the guys."
Another theory being floated is the long-time debate over whether Belichick was the true genius behind the Patriots' dynasty or his future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. After the latter departed New England and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Belichick failed to reach the big game again in his NFL career, that debate was unofficially settled.
Perhaps it was the championships Belichick did not win that voters held against him. He lost three Super Bowls in his nine attempts, two to the Giants (XLII & XLVI) and once to the Philadelphia Eagles (LII). Could getting bested by Eli Manning and Nick Foles really be that much of a detriment to his case? Well, if Manning is inducted this year that'll really be salt in the wound.
Eli Manning voters have a chance to do the funniest thing ever
— Clem (@TheClemReport) January 27, 2026
Nobody will ever really know if "politics" kept Belichick out of Canton — despite it looking exactly like it did — but it's still a certainty he'll get his bronze bust and be immortalized in the halls he and his father Steve wandered and revered in his childhood.