For two decades, head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady partnered to win six Super Bowls in a dynastic run with the New England Patriots. However, today, their success is often overshadowed by the end of that era of football.
There is a rush to blame one or the other for the end of that era, or to give more credit to one or the other. However, that isn’t necessarily the truth of the situation. Certainly, Belichick doesn’t necessarily think so, as he recently took the time to praise Brady for how he helped change his outlook on the game while making an appearance on Hang Out with Sean Hannity.
“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.”
Since both Belichick and Brady have moved on from the Patriots, the team has continued to embrace Brady. That includes inducting him into the team’s Hall of Fame and unveiling a statue of him.
On the other hand, there has been more tension as it relates to Belichick. He has looked to avoid associating with the team, even banning scouts from North Carolina facilities, as he explained, “It’s clear I’m not welcome there at their facility. So they’re not welcome at ours. Very simple.” Still, those six Super Bowls were due to the Brady and Belichick team, and it would be great if he and the Patriots could come together once again.
Bill Belichick Has Not Had the Same Success with Quarterbacks Since Tom Brady
GettyNew England Patriots head coach and quarterback Bill Belichick and Tom Brady
There is never going to be a way to replicate Tom Brady. However, Bill Belichick has had an awful time trying to find any sort of relationship with a quarterback like the one he had with Brady.
While with the Patriots, Belichick turned to Cam Newton for a season before drafting Mac Jones in the first round. Neither worked out, which ended up being a major reason why Belichick was forced out of New England. Then, in North Carolina, his 2025 quarterback, Gio Lopez, recently shared criticism of their relationship.
“Back at the other school [North Carolina], it felt like there’s no air,” Lopez said. “Here, it’s fun again. They’re moving us in the right direction, energized, and guys are enjoying football. It’s like fresh air. I’d never had to respond to tough situations like that on that loud of a scale. It was more like work,” Lopez said. “After that first game, it felt like getting through the day. You don’t want to live like that, where you’re up at night thinking about the next day.”
That came in just a 4-8 season for Belichick at North Carolina. He’ll look for a new quarterback again in 2026 as he hopes to bounce back from a tough year.
Bill Belichick Recently Spoke About his Departure from the Jets
GettyFormer New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
Prior to coming to the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick was briefly going to be the head coach of the New York Jets. That is, until he resigned on a napkin, which he recently looked back upon while appearing on Pardon My Take.
“Yeah, in retrospect, I don’t think that was the greatest choice,” Belichick said. “It certainly did [get the message across]. It did in a very, I don’t know. It wasn’t the classiest thing I’ve ever done. I’ll say that. I was in a mood at that time.”
There was a good reason for that, though. Belichick didn’t want to work with the Jets’ owners, regardless of who they ended up being.
“I had worked for Modell and the two trains coming down the track were Dolan and Woody Johnson. I just felt like I’m — I don’t feel comfortable with whichever one of those guys ends up with the team. Nothing personal. I just had a bad experience (with Modell) and I was — either I’m going to work for a good owner or an owner that I felt comfortable with, who would share a vision with or — I’m not working for that,” Belichick concluded.
It all worked out in the end once Belichick got to the Patriots. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he found Brady along the way, either.
Patriots Legend Bill Belichick Reflects on Partnership with QB Tom Brady