Tom Brady on Bill Belichick's unemployment: 'I’m surprised that the greatest coach ever doesn’t have a job'
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did not land a new job this hiring season, despite having two interviews with the Atlanta Falcons and being the second-winningest NFL head coach of all time (including playoffs). For the first time since 1975, Belichick won't be on the field this fall.
And Tom Brady, Belichick's former starting QB, is pretty shocked by it. He discussed Belichick's unemployment on his "Let's Go" podcast this week.
“You know I don’t know the criteria for hiring these guys— for hiring coaches. You know I’ve never been a part of it.
"I mean I’m surprised that the greatest coach ever doesn’t have a job, absolutely. But, you know, I’m surprised [about] a lot of things in the NFL."
It's true Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. But as Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson wrote, Belichick likely didn't get a job this cycle because he served as both head coach and GM with the Patriots. That's a unique power arrangement in the NFL, and something no other team is set up to adopt without significant changes to their leadership structure. If you're just trying to sign a head coach, that arrangement is maybe too much for an owner to commit to.
Brady was also able to find an example in his own life that's similar to what Belichick is currently experiencing: his free agency in 2020.
"When I was a free agent, there was a lot of teams that didn’t want me," Brady said. "There’s a lot of things that happen that, you know, for one reason or another, don’t go exactly the way you think they should go.”
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Belichick is going to get the redemption that Brady got after he left the Patriots, when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won the Super Bowl. But we don't even know if Belichick wants that. Maybe, after his first full season off the field since 1975, he'll be ready for something new in 2025.
Or maybe not. He is Belichick, after all.
