After 24 seasons of unparalleled success followed by a recent downturn, football legend Bill Belichick is no longer the coach of the New Patriots. Following an embarrassing 4-13 record in 2023, the legendary but controversial head coach mutually agreed with the team that it was time for a divorce. The writing was seemingly on the wall after the worst season of his career, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft appeared to be growing tired of losing. However, they also went through several years of regression in the post-Tom Brady era.
Nonetheless, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach will go down as one of the greatest – if not the outright greatest of all time. Early in his Pats runs, Belichick made phenomenal decisions and got the best out of Tom Brady. But he was also infamous for his repeated instances of cheating and made some truly horrendous draft picks as the Patriots’ de facto GM as well. His unique personality made him one of the NFL’s most compelling figures. So let’s remember his unique and polarizing career by looking back on Belichick’s greatest and worst moments right here.
Quitting The Jets
One of the oddest moments of Belichick’s career saw him become the Jets interim head coach in 1997. They wanted to hire Bill Parcells but complications saw them turn to Belichick in the short term. However, he never coached a game because they finally agreed to a contract with Parcells.
Then Parcells quit in 1999 but he arranged for Belichick to replace him. They didn’t factor the Patriots entering the equation. New England made him a better offer and he quit the Jets on his first day. Belichick notoriously wrote on a napkin: “I resign as HC of the NYJ” in a legendary moment (via Fansided).