Bill Belichick Passed Over for Pro Football Hall of Fame in First Year of Eligibility

Bill Belichick did not earn election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, according to a report from ESPN, a result that has prompted widespread reaction across the NFL.

ESPN cited four unnamed sources familiar with the voting process. The report said Belichick failed to reach the required 40 votes from the Hall’s 50-member selection committee. According to ESPN, Hall officials informed Belichick of the outcome during a phone call last Friday.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame declined to comment ahead of the official announcement of the Class of 2026. The Hall plans to reveal the new inductees at the NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco on February 5.

Reaction across the NFL

News of Belichick’s reported omission drew quick responses from players and fans. Several expressed surprise given his long record of success.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reacted on social media, calling the decision “insane.” He added that he could not understand how Belichick was not selected on the first ballot.

A record-setting coaching career

Belichick’s career stands among the most accomplished in NFL history. The New England Patriots hired him as head coach in 2000. Over the next two decades, he built one of the league’s most dominant dynasties.

From 2001 through 2018, the Patriots won six Super Bowls and reached the championship game three additional times. The team became a defining force of the modern NFL during that period.

Across head coaching roles with New England and the Cleveland Browns, Belichick recorded 333 combined regular-season and playoff victories. That total ranks second all time, behind only Don Shula’s 347 wins. Belichick also won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award three times.

Defensive success before New England

Before becoming a head coach, Belichick earned a strong reputation as a defensive strategist. He served as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants during their Super Bowl runs in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Giants won two Super Bowls during his tenure. Belichick received widespread credit for defensive game plans that slowed high-powered offenses, including the Buffalo Bills’ no-huddle attack in Super Bowl XXV.

Controversy during Patriots tenure

Belichick’s career also included controversy. In 2007, the NFL penalized him for the Patriots’ videotaping of opposing teams’ defensive signals. The incident became known as “Spygate.”

The league fined Belichick $500,000, the largest fine ever imposed on a coach at the time. The NFL also stripped the Patriots of a first-round draft pick after investigators found the team had filmed New York Jets signals from the sideline.

Belichick remained in New England for more than a decade after the incident. During that span, the Patriots won three additional Super Bowls.

Departure from New England and move to college football

Belichick’s time with the Patriots ended after the 2023 season. The split followed several years of declining results and significant roster changes.

In 2024, Belichick moved to college football. He completed his first season as head coach at the University of North Carolina, marking a rare late-career shift for a coach long identified with NFL success.

Hall of Fame voting process

Belichick was one of five finalists in the coaches, contributors and senior players category. That group includes candidates whose playing careers ended in 2000 or earlier.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the contributor finalist. Former players Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood rounded out the list.

Hall of Fame rules allow between one and three finalists from that category to be elected each year. Those inductees will join between three and five modern-era players chosen from a separate group of 15 finalists.

First-ballot debates continue

First-ballot selection often reflects immediate consensus rather than long-term judgment. Several figures now regarded as automatic Hall of Famers waited multiple years before induction.

Still, Belichick’s reported omission has drawn attention because of the scale and longevity of his influence on the modern NFL.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce the full Class of 2026 at NFL Honors, where this year’s inductees will be formally revealed.