Former Patriots HC Bill Belichick Reportedly Won’t Be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer

Bill Belichick will have to wait at least another year before getting inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former New England Patriots head coach won’t be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026, denying him entry on his first ballot, ESPN reported. Belichick, who was named a finalist for induction as part of the Class of 2026, needed at least 40 of the 50 votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s unclear how many votes he received. Belichick, 73, is one of the most decorated coaches in NFL history. His six Super Bowl titles as a head coach are the most ever, while he has the second-most wins ever for an NFL head coach (333, regular season and postseason combined). Even though Belichick’s 24-year tenure with the Patriots saw New England achieve an unprecedented amount of success in the Super Bowl era, there were some controversies surrounding his stint with the team. Belichick was implicated in the team’s videotaping scandal to illegally steal signs in 2007, known as Spygate, and was fined $500,000. Spygate, along with Deflategate, was brought up by the Hall of Fame voters during their deliberations ahead of voting, ESPN reported. Belichick advanced to the final stage of voting as part of the Class of 2026 in December, representing the coaches category. He was one of 20 people named a finalist for induction, with Patriots owner Robert Kraft also being among that group. It’s unknown if Kraft will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026. Kraft advanced to the final stage of the vote as the contributor representative. Kraft and Belichick were two of the five people who advanced to the final round of voting through the senior committee. Fifteen modern era players were also named as finalists. The full Class of 2026 will be announced at the NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb 5. The news of Belichick’s snub, though, caught many in the football world by surprise. “Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible,” Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrote in a social media post. “I can’t be reading this right. 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,” former NFL star J.J. Watt added in another social media post. “This is just WRONG ..#2 winning ALL TIME…more Super Bowls than anyone unimaginable # of division championships…lot of small jealous voters,” former Dallas Cowboys head coach and NFL on FOX analyst Jimmy Johnson wrote in a social media post. “Seriously?! By every metric, Bill Belichick is a first-ballot Hall of Famer,’ FOX Sports NFL writer Bucky Brooks wrote in a social media post. “The fact that he wasn’t selected is more of a reflection of the voters than the coach. How can you respect the opinions of the “experts” when they blatantly disrespect legendary coach’s on-field accomplishments?” Even some greats from other sports weighed in on Belichick’s snub. “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!” Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James wrote in a social media post. The Patriots parted ways with Belichick following the 2023 season, when they went 4-13. Belichick, who coached the Cleveland Browns for five seasons in the 1990s (1991-95), became the head coach of North Carolina in 2025, going 4-8 in his first season at the helm. Belichick also won two Super Bowl titles as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator (1986, 1990).