Tom Brady knows Bill Belichick better than almost anyone, so you can imagine his reaction when he saw his former head coach not landing a job this offseason.
When Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways in January, everyone assumed Belichick would land on his feet very quickly. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles were floated as the best potential landing spots. The Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers also looked like possibilities.
Instead, Belichick—widely viewed as the greatest coach in league history—was shut out, which has led some to question if he will ever coach in the NFL ever again.
Brady spoke about Belichick’s unemployment on his Let’s Go podcast recently, and he seemed just as floored as everyone else that the six-time Super Bowl winner was not hired by someone.
“I’m not one to hire (coaches),” Brady said. “I don’t know the criteria for hiring these guys, for hiring coaches. 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 I’m surprised (by) a lot of things in the NFL.”
Then again, Brady knows what that feels like. He says that back when he was a free agent in March 2020, there were plenty of teams that were not interested.
“When I was a free agent, there (were) a lot of teams that didn’t want me,” said Brady. “… There (are) a lot of things that happen that, for one reason or another, don’t go exactly the way you think they should go.”
Of course, Tom Brady ultimately signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that spring and ended up leading the team to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the club.
Belichick, on the other hand, has gone without a job entirely, and at 72 years old, it’s entirely possible that teams are simply avoiding him.
Is it possible the league has passed Belichick by? Or perhaps front offices are intimidated by the idea of Belichick coming in and wanting substantial control over operations?
Whatever the case may be, the Falcons were the only team to interview Bill Belichick, which indicates that he may have a rough time getting back into the NFL moving forward.
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