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Bill Belichick spent his NFL career always focused on the next play or the next game.
With those days now behind him, it’s about reflecting on the past. The former New England Patriots coach joined Fox News’ Sean Hannity on the latest episode of the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast, where he spoke about a variety of topics from his Hall of Fame snub to Tom Brady’s decision to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and everything in between.
The coach’s NFL days are long gone at this point. He departed the Patriots organization after the 2023 season, officially leaving the post in Jan. 2024 in what was framed as a mutual decision with team owner Robert Kraft.
It has been an up-and-down journey for Belichick in the years since. The current North Carolina Tar Heels football head coach has been in the news for his move to the college ranks and his personal relationships.
Belichick was back on the NFL radar this offseason after news surfaced that he wouldn’t be part of the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class – something that left many in disbelief.
The coach had always been known for keeping things close to the vest, or hoodie in this case. Now he’s peeling back the curtain and speaking his mind.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights from Belichick’s discussion with Hannity.
Bill Belichick on Tom Brady’s decision to leave Patriots
Brady’s 20th season with the Patriots was capped off with a pick-six to the Tennessee Titans’ Logan Ryan in the wild-card round. Rather than sign up for another year, the then-six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback opted for a new challenge.
He signed with the Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season, a decision that Belichick said was the right one.
“Tom leaving was absolutely the right thing for him to do,” Belichick told Hannity.
“We didn’t have a good team in 2020. We just didn’t have a good football team. We had all those guys that left –[Rob] Gronkowski and [Julian] Edelman. Most of our team was gone. [Devin] McCourty and a few others were still there, but they were about to go too. We were just at the end.”
Belichick added that he was happy things worked out for Brady, saying they would’ve gone much differently if he had stayed in New England.
“It wouldn’t have gone well in 2020 in New England,” he said. “On this, I can guarantee that. We put everything we had into the ’19 season, including paying him a lot of money at the end of the year without anything for it. There was no first right of refusal, there was no franchise tag, nothing.
“And so we all understood that there was a good chance he would leave. And I think he made a great career decision, obviously. I wish we could have done more, but we went as far as we could. And look, he proved it – he played longer than anybody, played at a higher level than anybody. And again, tremendous credit to him. Nobody else did that – that was him.”
Bill Belichick on what he learned from Tom Brady
Longevity and continuity aren’t easy in the constantly evolving world of sports. Despite those challenges, Brady and Belichick spent 20 seasons together, winning six Super Bowls.
Many have debated for years whether Brady or Belichick deserved more credit for New England’s success, but the coach revealed that it was a true partnership.
“I learned so much from Tom,” Belichick said. “I never played quarterback. Tom saw the game through a quarterback’s eyes. I saw the game through a coach’s eyes. Together, I think we both learned a lot from each other – Tom on how defensive coaches looked at him or looked at offense, and me on what a quarterback can do and what he can’t do, what’s hard, what’s easy, what I can see, what I can’t see, and how you see the game.”
The coach later added that once Brady took over as the starter, everything was tailored to what Brady did best – both in play-calling and in how they built the roster. Still, Brady always wanted to make sure he was treated as one of the guys.
“People say, well, I was hard on Tom and I yelled at Tom,” Belichick said. “Yeah, I mean, at times, sure – that’s part of coaching. But Tom was great about that. A lot of times I might say, ‘You know, it might be a little rough in there today in this meeting because of what happened in the game yesterday or whatever.’ And he’d say, ‘Yeah, I understand – we probably need it.’
And he goes, ‘Make sure you include me, because then I’m one of the guys. If you leave me out of it, then it’s like, well, Tom’s great but everybody else is the problem.’ So he kind of said, ‘Don’t forget to include me.’ Yeah, no problem, Tom. Sure, I’ll yell at you too. It’s easy.”
Bill Belichick reacts to Hall of Fame snub
The NFL world was shocked when it was revealed that Belichick wouldn’t be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee. He ultimately fell short of the votes necessary, despite being one of the faces of the Patriots’ dynasty.
Hannity asked Belichick about the snub, but the coach said his focus is elsewhere.
“Well, it’s out of my control,” Belichick said. “And honestly, I’ve been very focused on my job at the University of North Carolina and the players and the university there. So, you know, whatever happens, happens. But I’m proud of what we accomplished as teams at New England and certainly at the Giants, and proud of those relationships. So that’s what matters most.”
However, he did appreciate the outpouring of support for his Hall of Fame case in the immediate aftermath.
“It’s great to hear that support from so many people and from so many different fields – not just football, but many others,” he added. “And so, you know, I was very appreciative of that support and the positive comments that they made.”
Belichick wasn’t willing to speculate on why he wasn’t voted in, saying you’d have to ask the voters.
This story was updated with new information.
