Tom Brady was surprised Bill Belichick didn’t land a head-coaching job
"I’m surprised that the greatest coach ever doesn’t have a job, absolutely."
Add Tom Brady to the long list of ex-Patriots and former NFLers surprised to see Bill Belichick on the outside looking in at a head-coaching gig in 2024.
Belichick’s coaching resume might speak for itself. But whether it be his insistence on roster control with his new team or the Patriots’ lackluster returns following Brady’s exit in March 2020, the future Hall-of-Fame coach likely needs to wait a year if he wants to return to an NFL sideline.
Beyond the Patriots’ coaching vacancy — which was handled internally with the promotion of Jerod Mayo — there were seven total NFL head-coaching jobs open this offseason.
But even when factoring in Belichick’s body of work as a head coach, he only reportedly spoke with the Falcons and Commanders before both franchises opted to hire Raheem Morris and Dan Quinn, respectively.
Speaking on his “Let’s Go!” podcast this week, Brady admitted that Belichick’s failed job search this offseason has been a bit of a head-scratcher — although he added that he’s not well-versed in the thought process carried out by NFL front offices.
“I’m not one to hire. I don’t know the criteria for hiring these guys, for hiring coaches. I’ve never been a part of it,” Brady noted. “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. When I was a free agent, there was a lot teams that didn’t want me… There’s a lot of things that happen that, for one reason or another, don’t go exactly the way you think they should go.”
Even though Belichick likely needs to sit out the 2024 NFL season and wait for more coaching opportunities to sprout up next offseason, Brady noted last week that he can’t see any scenario in which his longtime coach opts to retire.
Belichick might be 71 years old, but he sits just 14 victories away from tying Don Shula’s record for the most wins all-time in the NFL.
“I think the fire burns with him,” Brady said on Jan. 30 during an interview on FS1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” show. “Because he loves the sport. He loves the preparation. He’s been doing it for decades. And, in my mind, there’s nobody better than him at it. So, whoever gets him at some point is gonna have, in my opinion, the greatest coach ever.”
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