The Pro Football Hall of Fame has snubbed Bill Belichick in his first year of eligibility. Following the news, Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes did not hold back in sending the NFL a strong message over the controversial decision.
Bill Belichick became elegible for the Hall of Fame in 2026. However, against all odds, he did not make the cut in his first year of eligibility, prompting several NFL stars to react to the shocking news.
“Insane… don’t even understand how this could be possible,” Patrick Mahomes wrote on X. The quarterback knows Belichick is one of the greatest coaches ever and couldn’t believe he failed to receive unanimity in the selection process.
Why did Bill Belichick not make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026?
In his first year of eligibility, Bill Belichick did not secure the required 40 out of 50 votes to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The committee is largely made up of media members and other football-related personalities.
Belichick won six Super Bowls as head coach of the Patriots and two more as an assistant coach with the New York Giants. He also has nine conference championships, 31 playoff wins, and 302 regular-season victories—outstanding numbers that make his snub even more surprising.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Belichick’s inner circle was shocked by the news. “No man cares more about the history of football than Bill,” a person close to the legendary coach said. “Today is a sad day for the league he loves.”
J.J. Watt joins the shock over Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub
On X, J.J. Watt also joined the discussion. The former pass rusher expressed disbelief over the snub, sending strong messages to those who did not vote for Belichick to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
“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.”