Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with Tom Brady in New England, will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, a league source confirmed.
Belichick, one of five finalists for the Hall’s Class of 2026, did not secure the necessary 40 votes from the 50-person selection committee. ESPN first reported the news Tuesday evening.
“I can’t be reading this right,” ex-defensive end J.J. Watt wrote on X. “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.”
“Outrageous!” wrote former Patriots running back James White on the social media platform.
The other four finalists are Patriots owner Robert Kraft, 1981 NFL MVP Ken Anderson, three-time Super Bowl champion Roger Craig, and four-time Super Bowl champion L.C. Greenwood.
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In order to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame, individuals need to receive approval from at least 80 percent of the 50-person selection committee. A maximum of three finalists can be inducted. If none of the finalists receive the necessary 80 percent, then the person with the highest approval will be enshrined.
This process is separate from the Hall’s modern-era players. Those 15 finalists, which include former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, are part of a different vote.
The 2026 inductees are scheduled to be announced next week ahead of Super Bowl LX.
Belichick, who will turn 74 in April, is set to return to North Carolina for his second season as head coach. He did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Over nearly a quarter-century with the Patriots, Belichick cemented himself as one of the NFL’s best coaches.
He was named Coach of the Year three times. Among all head coaches, he ranks first in Super Bowl wins, conference championships (nine), and playoff wins (31).
According to ESPN, former Colts executive Bill Polian, who is a member of the selection committee, said he believed Belichick should have to “wait a year” before induction because of Spygate. In September 2007, the NFL fined Belichick $250,000 and the Patriots $500,000 after league security found a Patriots video assistant illegally taping the Jets’ defensive signals.
The three first-ballot Hall of Fame coaches were Tom Landry (1990), Chuck Noll (1993), and Don Shula (1997). Six other coaches — Vince Lombardi (1971), Ray Flaherty (1976), Alphonse Leemans (1978), Joe Gibbs (1996), Hank Stram (2003), and Fritz Pollard (2005) — were inducted the first year they were finalists, but not in their first year of eligibility.
Several players, past and present, expressed their shock at the decision to leave Belichick out in his first year of eligibility.
“Insane,” wrote Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on X. “Don’t even understand how this could be possible.”
New England gets a rematch with the Seahawks (remember 2015?), and could be facing huge obstacles with the toughest team they’ve faced so far.
Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.
