New England Patriots

What Roger Goodell said about Bill Belichick’s failed coaching search

"I don’t think anyone can take anything away from his record."

On the morning following their come from behind Super Bowel victory, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick were present at a press conference along with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Brady accepted the Super Bowl MVP award from Goodell. Goodell (left) and Belichick (right) are pictured as they sit together off stage and listen to Brady at the microphone. The green on Goodell's face is from a video screen that was positioned just off stage.
Roger Goodell and Bill Belichick have a complicated history. Jim Davis / The Boston Globe

By Conor Ryan

2 minutes to read

Roger Goodell and Bill Belichick have had a… complicated relationship over the years.

While the longtime NFL Commissioner has been on hand to bestow the Lombardi Trophy to Belichick and the Patriots three total times, Goodell has long established himself as an antagonist in Foxborough due to the league’s heavy past sanctions against New England.

Under Goodell’s watch, the NFL fined Belichick $500,000 and docked New England of a first-round pick following the “Spygate” controversy in September 2007.

Over seven years later, the league suspended Tom Brady for four games, fined the Patriots $1 million and took away the team’s first-round pick in 2016 and a fourth-round selection in 2017 following the “DeflateGate” saga. 

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But on Monday, Goodell offered up plenty of praise for Belichick and his legacy in the NFL — even after the future Hall-of-Famer didn’t land a job during this offseason’s hiring cycle.

“He’s extraordinary. I think he’s done so much for this league,” Goodell told reporters of Belichick during his annual press conference ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. “He’s changed the game in many ways, he’s brought innovation and I don’t think anyone can take anything away from his record.”

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Belichick’s record does speak for itself. Along with six Super Bowl titles during his time with the Patriots, Belichick sits just 14 victories away from tying Don Shula’s record for the most wins all-time in the NFL.

But whether it’s because of his insistence on personnel control with an NFL roster or the lackluster returns put forth by the Patriots since Tom Brady left New England in 2020, Belichick will likely need to wait a year before getting a chance to coach again.

Even with seven total head-coaching vacancies available this offseason, Belichick did not land with a team — with the 71-year-old coach reportedly only speaking with the Falcons and Commanders before both franchises opted to hire Raheem Morris and Dan Quinn, respectively. 

However, Goodell doesn’t expect Belichick to be down for long. 

“I think he’ll be missed,” Goodell said of Belichick. “But I have a feeling he’ll still be around the game.”

It remains to be seen how exactly Belichick will remain “around the game,” at least for the 2024 NFL season. 

CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones noted last month that Belichick could be a coveted target as an NFL analyst in 2024. 

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“Every network would want him,” a source reportedly told Jones of Belichick. “He would revolutionize media with the way he prepares.”

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Conor Ryan

Sports Writer

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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