The Pro Football Hall of Fame has reduced the waiting period for coaches to become eligible - a move that could see Bill Belichick enshrined as early as next year.
On Friday, the Hall of Fame announced new bylaws after revising the selection process and a key change for coaches. The waiting period for coaches to become eligible to be inducted has been reduced from five seasons out of the game to one season.
This means six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Belichick would be eligible for enshrinement in 2026, should he not take a job to return to the NFL in 2025. This is also true for Pete Carroll, who led the Seattle Seahawks through a decade of legitimate title contention while winning Super Bowl XLVIII.
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Either Belichick or Carroll could accept a job after enshrinement, which would see them join Joe Gibbs and Paul Brown as the only people to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, then step out of retirement to return to head coach duties. Although this rule change wasn’t done specifically for him, this would allow Belichick to be inducted as early as next year - which is perhaps fitting given his status as arguably the greatest coach in NFL history.
Across his 24 years as New England Patriots head coach, Belichick - a three-time AP Coach of the Year - won 266 regular season games. Including his five seasons in charge of the Cleveland Browns, Belichick is just 26 wins away from Don Shula's all-time mark of 328.
Belichick reached nine Super Bowls with the Patriots, securing six Lombardi Trophies. He owns several records; most Super Bowl wins (eight; two as an assistant), most Super Bowl wins as a head coach, most Super Bowl appearances (12), most playoff wins as a head coach (31), and the most division titles as a head coach (17).
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No NFL coach demands more of his players than defensive mastermind Belichick and his no-nonsense, business-like method meshed effectively with Tom Brady ’s unrelenting dedication to his craft. The duo forged the most successful quarterback-head coach tandem in NFL history before Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Meanwhile, Carroll overcame a difficult tenure in New England by rehabilitating his craft with USC in college football before returning to the NFL with the Seahawks in 2010. He clinched the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl three seasons later, defeating the Denver Broncos before falling to Belichick’s Pats in a dramatic Super Bowl XLIX a year later.
The Hall of Fame also made several other changes, including splitting the coach and contributor categories and adding new screening committees to review the full list of nominees for players from the modern era and seniors category. Also, entry to Canton will be awarded to between one and three people picked each year out of the five nominees for seniors, coaches, and contributors.
The process for picking the class of 2025 will begin soon. Among the headline first-time candidates eligible this year are quarterback Eli Manning, Luke Kuechly, Marshall Yanda, Marshawn Lynch, and Terrell Suggs.
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