Bill Belichick moves one step closer to Pro Football Hall of Fame induction

On Tuesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 12 coaches have advanced to the next round of voting for consideration for the Class of 2026. Unsurprisingly, longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is among those who made the cut.

Coaches have their own voting committee when it comes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That committee gets an initial list of nominees, with voting in stages until one finalist is selected. That individual goes on the final ballot with the finalists chosen by the three other committees - Modern-era players, Seniors, and Contributors - which are then voted on together. A minimum of four and as many as eight individuals are then voted to be the Class of 2026, which is announced the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

This is Belichick's first year of eligibility. Unlike players, who have a five-year waiting period, coaching only have to be out of professional football (Belichick's job at UNC does not impact his eligibility) for just one full season once the voting cycle has begun.

In his first year on the ballot, Belichick headlines this year's nominees. He's second all-time in NFL coaching wins with 333, including a league-record 31 postseason wins and six Super Bowl wins. That's not even counting his time as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants - a stint that included two more Super Bowl wins.

After beginning his career with the Cleveland Browns, 24 of Belichick's 29 years as an NFL head coach were with the Patriots, from 2000 to 2023. He went 266-121 in New England, with a 30-12 mark in the playoffs. Belichick was named NFL Coach of the Year three times and is a member of the NFL's 2000s and 20102 All-Decade teams, as well as the 100th Anniversary All-Time team. Belichick also served as the unofficial head of the Patriots' font office for most of his time in New England, and was named PFWA Executive of the Year in 2021.

Others in contention for the coaching committee's spot on the ballot are Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Alex Gibbs, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy. Holmgren, whose 17-year coaching career included a Super Bowl win with the Green Bay Packers over the Patriots in 1996, was the finalist from the coaching group last year but ultimately was not voted into the Hall of Fame.

Along with the coaching committee, the other three committees are narrowing down their lists as well. Those semifinalist announcements are expected this week. 20 former Patriots are among the modern-era nominees this year.