Tom Brady addresses Bill Belichick getting snubbed for head-coaching jobs

Retired quarterback Tom Brady played under former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick from 2000 through the 2019 season and spoke during a Tuesday appearance on FS1's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" program about no club hiring Belichick as its coach this winter. 

"I think the fire burns with him," Brady said about Belichick, per Patriots beat reporter Dakota Randall of NESN. "Because he loves the sport. He loves the preparation. He’s been doing it for decades. And, in my mind, there’s nobody better than him at it. So, whoever gets him at some point is gonna have, in my opinion, the greatest coach ever. And I know he’s as competitive as can be, and he wants to be out there winning football games as a coach." 

The Atlanta Falcons thus far are the only team to interview Belichick since he and Patriots owner Robert Kraft "mutually" agreed to part ways earlier this month. Fears related to changes Belichick may have wanted to make within the organization combined with the fact that he may only coach for two more seasons reportedly played a part in Atlanta hiring Raheem Morris. 

Belichick turns 72 years old this April and ended this past campaign 15 wins shy of setting a new NFL record for career victories earned by a head coach (regular season and postseason combined). 

It was recently reported that Belichick "never truly believed" Brady would leave the Patriots as a free agent after the 2019 season. While Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020, he insisted during a Tuesday spot on "The Pat McAfee Show" that his relationship with the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach never deteriorated during their time together. 

"My respect for coach Belichick is pretty well documented," Brady told McAfee, as shared by Jake Nisse of the Daily Mail. "He was an incredible leader and coach for our team. And I tried to do my best every single day that I took the field. I know that he did the same thing. And I think that's why I respected his coaching so much. Toward the later part of my career, I really think there was so much people trying to create some division that some of it — most of it — was untrue. But it's just the way the world works." 

Brady confirmed during his media hits on Tuesday he will replace Greg Olsen as Fox's lead NFL analyst beginning next season. Unless a team changes course and hands Belichick the keys to the kingdom, he could either join Brady at Fox or work as an analyst for a different network through at least the 2024 regular season.