It felt like the entire NFL world let out a collective gasp of shock when reports emerged that legendary New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion and the second-winningest coach in the sport’s history, would not become a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
So far, only five NFL coaches have ever received that honor, but Belichick will not be joining that illustrious group after failing to get the 40 votes needed to be elected to the Hall of Fame, according to ESPN.
The news sent shockwaves across the NFL. But what could this mean for Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid?
At first glance, it doesn’t look like good news.
If a résumé like Belichick’s can get knocked back—he holds the record for the most Super Bowl wins (6) and appearances (9), the most playoff wins (31) and appearances (19), and has the second-most wins ever as a head coach (333)—what chance does any other coach have of getting in on the first time of asking?
But if you look at the situation more closely, not only does Reid’s résumé already come within reach of Belichick’s accomplishments, but he also has an opportunity to surpass him in a number of areas. Plus, Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub could give Reid a bragging point in the greatest head coach of all time debate.
WINS
Reid currently ranks fourth in all-time head coaching wins with 307, and he stands a very good chance of not only moving past Belichick but overtaking Don Shula for the most wins ever, too.
Big Red is 40 wins behind Shula but only 26 wins behind Belichick, and he could move past both of them sooner than you might think. Reid and Kansas City have averaged 14 wins per season over the last 11 years, which includes a disastrous 2025 that saw the Chiefs win just six games.
At that rate, Reid would move ahead of Belichick within just two years and ahead of Shula in less than three. Reid also needs four more playoff victories to surpass Belichick’s current NFL record of 31 postseason wins—the Chiefs have had at least two in seven of the last eight seasons.
Reid is also the all-time wins leader at not one but two NFL teams: the Philadelphia Eagles (140) and, of course, the Chiefs (167). Belichick was a head coach for two teams as well, but while he had immense success with the Patriots, he actually had a losing record during his five seasons in charge of the Cleveland Browns (36 wins, 44 losses).
When it comes to Super Bowl wins, it’s more unlikely than likely that Reid would be able to match Belichick’s six. But Reid’s three championships are already more than Shula and Tom Landry—two of the five first-ballot Hall of Fame coaches—had in their careers.
LEGACY
The biggest roadblock to Belichick’s Hall of Fame case is unquestionably his links to multiple cheating incidents. There was Spygate in 2007, when the Patriots were caught illegally filming signals on opposing teams’ sidelines, and Deflategate in 2014, when New England used balls that were deliberately underinflated to gain an advantage.
Belichick was in charge during both of those scandals, and his association with them could have been the reason why he was passed over as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Reid, however, has no links to any major rules violations or cheating scandals and should have a much cleaner history when he himself becomes eligible.
If Reid can overtake Belichick in total wins and playoff wins and even move past Shula to become the winningest coach ever—all distinct possibilities even at his age of 67—then you could make a convincing case that Reid’s case to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer is actually stronger than Belichick’s, even if he is unable to win another Super Bowl.
And if that happens, and Reid becomes just the sixth coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, that—paired with his wins and success at multiple teams with multiple quarterbacks—could put him above Belichick on the list of the greatest NFL coaches of all time.