Bill Belichick has revealed the worst part of being an NFL coach, as the Patriots legend prepares for his first year away from the NFL in nearly 50 years.
With the NFL returning next week, every team will have to trim its roster down to 53 players by Tuesday night, and Belichick explained on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ how much he hated ‘firing’ people from his teams.
“As an NFL head coach, that’s definitely the worst part of the job,” he said.
“There are players who come with dreams and do everything you ask them to do,” he continued.
“They lift weights, they work hard, they train, they go to meetings. They leave early, they stay late… and the bottom line is, 90 players come to camp and 53 (allowed) on the roster, you’re laying off 37 people.”
Bill Belichick revealed that cutting players is the worst aspect of being an NFL head coach
He admitted as much on the Pat McAfee Show before the NFL roster deadline.
Belichick, who was effectively the Patriots’ general manager in addition to their head coach (he also served in the same roles with the Browns), explained how he was basically viewed as the grim reaper when he entered the league in 1975 as a special assistant for the Baltimore Colts.
“My first year in the league in Baltimore, I was the guy… I was Bad News Billy. And if they saw me coming anywhere, nobody wanted to see me,” he said.
Ultimately, while Belichick may have found it painful to cut players, it’s clear he did a good job with his personnel decisions, as the Patriots won six Super Bowls during his time as head coach from 2000 to 2023.
After parting ways with New England earlier this year, he was unsuccessful in landing another head coaching job after interviewing twice with the Falcons.
Belichick will fill his time this season with appearances on the “McAfee Show” and also as an analyst on The CW’s “Inside the NFL.”
However, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero previously said the 72-year-old was “fully committed” to returning to the NFL coaching ranks next year.