Bill Belichick is back in the mix for Canton.
The former New England Patriots coach is one of five finalists in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Coach category for the Class of 2027, the Hall announced Thursday from Canton, Ohio. Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan also made the cut after the coaching subcommittee narrowed an original pool of 14 nominees.
Only one coach will move forward from this stage and be considered by the full selection committee when it meets in early 2027.
Belichick reached this point a year ago, too, but he was not elected in his first year of eligibility. That outcome drew heavy criticism around the league.
Tom Brady didn’t hide how he felt, saying, "If he's not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there's really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it. He's incredible,"
Belichick’s résumé is as stacked as they come. He won six Super Bowls alongside Brady in New England and added two more as a defensive assistant with the New York Giants.
His career also includes the 2007 sign-stealing scandal known as "Spygate," when the Patriots were fined $500,000 after being caught filming defensive signals from the New York Jets during a game. Belichick’s last season with the Patriots came in 2023, and he is now in his second season coaching at North Carolina.
The other coaches on the list bring plenty of championship hardware, too.
Coughlin won two Super Bowls with the Giants, beating Belichick, Brady and the Patriots both times. Over 20 seasons with the Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars, he went 182-157, and he also won a title as a Giants assistant.
Holmgren posted a 174-122 record, including the postseason, across 17 seasons with the Packers and Seahawks. He guided Green Bay to one Super Bowl win and also claimed two titles as an assistant with the 49ers.
Reeves finished 201-174-2 in 23 seasons with the Broncos, Giants and Falcons. He took Denver to the Super Bowl three times and Atlanta once, but went 0-4 in those games. He also won a championship as a Cowboys assistant.
Shanahan won back-to-back Super Bowls with Denver and compiled a 178-144 record in 20 seasons with the Broncos and Washington Redskins. He also picked up a title as an assistant with the 49ers.
The Hall also moved five contributors forward on Wednesday: Ralph Hay, Robert Kraft, Virginia McCaskey, Doug Williams and John Wooten.
From there, the process gets tighter. The final list will include 15 candidates total: one contributor, one coach and 13 modern-era players.
That group will then be trimmed to 10 and then seven. A 25-person selection committee can vote for six people, and 80% support is required for election.
The Hall says that typically produces anywhere from three to seven enshrinees, with five or six the most likely outcome.
The Class of 2027 will be revealed at "NFL Honors" in Los Angeles in February and enshrined next August in Canton.
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