New England Patriots
Because of the way the numbers work, it would be very difficult for both of them to get through at once.”
Bill Belichick has not held back in expressing his icy sentiment against Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots since the longtime head coach left Foxborough in January 2024.
And now, Belichick and Kraft could be vying for the same spot on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 ballot.
Speaking on NBC Sports Boston’s “Patriots Pregame Live” on Sunday, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer raised a point that two of the top architects of the Patriots’ two-decade dynasty might have to go head-to-head in a bid to be enshrined in Canton.
“Well, if Belichick winds up being the coach’s committee nominee and Kraft winds up being the contributor’s committee nominee, there’s a good chance that one and not the other will make it through,” Breer said. “So, this actually could wind up being Belichick versus Kraft to get in. Because of the way the numbers work, it would be very difficult for both of them to get through at once.”
Last week, Belichick was named one of the 12 coaching candidates up for consideration in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 — joining a group that includes Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Alex Gibbs, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan, and Clark Shaughnessy.
Kraft was also included as one of 21 “contributors” who advanced into the next stage of the Hall of Fame’s selection process for 2026.
While both Belichick and Kraft’s resumes speak for themselves, Breer acknowledged that only a limited pool of coaches, contributors, and seniors actually get called to Canton each year.
Unlike the modern-era player candidates who could have multiple players enshrined each year, the senior’s committee can only submit three nominees each year — while the coach’s and contributor’s committees can only submit one nominee.
Of those five total nominees between the seniors, coaches, and contributors, the Hall of Fame’s selection committee can only vote up to three of those five nominees for entry into Canton — with the nominees needing to receive 80 percent approval for election.
“So, I mean, there’s a chance — again, just a chance — that if Kraft gets through and Belichick gets through, these two guys get pitted against one another for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Breer explained.
Despite Belichick’s struggles so far this season at the University of North Carolina and his cold attitude toward the Patriots, one voter told Breer that would be “embarrassing” if Belichick didn’t get in on the first ballot.
“I actually thought, initially, the committee might be a little afraid that he’s going to come back (to the NFL), but there was less concern over that,” Breer said.
“When I talked to some voters over the course of the last couple of days, they mentioned Bill Walsh was actually the head coach at Stanford when he got voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bill Parcells, Joe Gibbs, worked in the league again after being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
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