Brady ‘surprised’ that Belichick didn’t land a coaching job

The National Football League’s coaching vacancies have all been filled. The yearly game of musical chairs has stopped, and former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick isn’t sitting in one of them.

Retired quarterback Tom Brady, who played in New England for 20 years, said he doesn’t understand why his old coach wasn’t hired.

“I don’t know the criteria for hiring coaches. I’ve never been a part of it,” Brady said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast that he hosts with Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray. “I’m surprised that the greatest coach ever doesn’t have a job, absolutely.”

Belichick recorded an NFL-record six Super Bowl victories in New England. With 302 career wins, the free agent coach trails only Don Shula and George Halas on the all-time leaderboard.

In January, the Patriots said the organization “mutually agreed to part ways” with Belichick after 24 seasons. The franchise has struggled in recent years without Brady, who left for Tampa Bay before the 2020 season. The Pats went 4-13 in 2023, their worst finish since 1992, eight years before Belichick took over.

Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters told The Washington Post that he had a conversation with Belichick about a job. The Atlanta Falcons hosted two interviews with the future Hall of Famer, who was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in Annapolis.

Both the Commanders and Falcons hired different men for their jobs, leaving the long-time coach without a role.

Brady noted that he had a similar experience after leaving the Patriots.

“I’m surprised by a lot of things in the NFL. When I was a free agent, there were a lot of teams that didn’t want me,” he said. “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.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed Belichick’s absence during a press conference Monday.

“I think he’ll be missed. But I have a feeling he’ll still be around the game,” Goodell told reporters. “I think he’s done so much for this league. He’s changed the game in many ways; he brought innovation. I don’t think anyone can take anything away from his record.”