In a surprising twist, Bill Belichick, the mastermind behind eight Super Bowl victories, is set to miss out on being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Despite his remarkable achievements, which include a record six Super Bowl wins as the head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, Belichick fell short of the necessary votes for immediate induction into the Hall of Fame.

On Tuesday evening, ESPN reported that Belichick did not receive the 40 votes required to secure his place at the prestigious Canton, Ohio, institution. However, this isn’t the end of the road for the legendary coach; he still has a window of up to 20 years to make it onto the ballot again, keeping his hopes for eventual enshrinement alive.

When approached for a comment, a Hall of Fame spokesperson chose to remain silent on the matter, as reported by the Daily Mail. The news of the snub reached Belichick last Friday afternoon, leaving him reportedly both ‘puzzled’ and ‘disappointed’ by the outcome.

Currently at the helm of North Carolina’s football program, the coach’s reaction was echoed by those close to him, with one source telling ESPN, “Six Super Bowls isn’t enough? What does a guy have to do?” The sentiment underscores the disbelief that someone with such an illustrious career could be overlooked, at least for now, by the Hall of Fame committee.

Now the head coach at North Carolina, Belichick was left both ‘puzzled’ and ‘disappointed’ after failing to secure the requisite 80-percent of the vote from HOF committee members.

‘Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?’ one source close to Belichick told ESPN. ‘What does a guy have to do?’

Bill Belichick has more Super Bowl titles (six) than any head coach in NFL history 

Another source blamed ‘politics’ for keeping Belichick out Canton. 

‘Politics kept him out,’ the source told ESPN. ‘He doesn’t believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments.’

The source did not reveal the specific ‘politics’ they were referring to. However, Belichick does have his detractors within the league following several rules violations. Most notably, there was his infamous sign-stealing scandal, Spygate, which resulted in a $500,000 fine for the coach and the loss of a first-round draft pick for the team.

Belichick, who is second in NFL coaching wins behind only Don Shula, has declined comment. Likewise, his outspoken girlfriend, 24-year-old Jordon Hudson, has not offered a reaction on social media. 

Football insiders were left dumbfounded by the decision, starting with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

‘Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible,’ Mahomes wrote online. 

Long-time Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt was equally stupefied. 

‘I can’t be reading this right,’ Watt wrote on X. ‘This has to be some knock-off Hall of Fame or something, it can’t be the actual NFL Hall of Fame.

‘There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer.’

Another former rival player, ESPN analyst and ex-Steelers safety Ryan Clark, believes Belichick is the greatest coach in NFL history. 

‘Bill Belichick not being a first ballot Hall of Famer means that no coach should ever be,’ Clark wrote on X. ‘It means that the voters have decided there isn’t a coaching resume that warrants First Ballot consideration!

‘He is the GREATEST, most ACCOMPLISHED coach of all time! This is egregious!’

Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson attend Michael Rubin’s 2025 Fanatics Super Bowl Party

Belichick’s rival and former boss, Robert Kraft, is a Hall-of-Fame finalist this year 

The Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 will be named during Super Bowl week.

Interestingly, Patriots owner and rumored Belichick-rival Robert Kraft is a finalist for the Hall of Fame. Although the pair won six Super Bowls together, their relationship reportedly frayed over the years and Kraft warned the Atlanta Falcons against hiring Belichick in 2024, ESPN claimed at the time. 

A Patriots spokesperson later denied Kraft ever disparaged Belichick to Falcons owner Arthur Blank.  

As far as players, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees and legendary receiver Larry Fitzgerald headline a group of four modern-era finalists entering their first year of eligibility.

Tight end Jason Witten and running back Frank Gore are also first-year candidates, while right tackle Willie Anderson, wideout Torry Holt, linebacker Luke Kuechly and kicker Adam Vinatieri are all back as finalists.

Six other returning finalists include quarterback Eli Manning, receiver Reggie Wayne, offensive guards Jahri Evans and Marshal Yandal, as well as safety Darren Woodson and edge rusher Terrell Suggs.