Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft helped build a New England Patriots dynasty that spanned 20 years. Now, they could be headed to Canton together as inductees to the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Belichick was selected as the coaching candidate while Kraft was picked as the contributor. Three seniors candidates also made the final stage, with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood all advancing.
The selection committee can vote for three of the finalists, with candidates needing 80 percent of the votes to make it into the Hall. A maximum of three candidates can reach that threshold.
Both Belichick and Kraft have the résumés for induction. Belichick led the Patriots to six Super Bowls (nine appearances) as head coach, and Kraft’s 10 Super Bowl appearances since purchasing the team in 1994 are the most for any owner in NFL history.
On the latest episode of Tom E. Curran’s Patriots Talk Podcast, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio didn’t mince words about how the selection committee should vote for two pillars of the Pats dynasty — especially Belichick.
“There should be no discussion, no debate. Bill Belichick is one of the all-time great professional coaches. Everything after he left the Patriots is a different thing altogether,” Florio said.
“His ridiculous adolescent resentment toward the Patriots has nothing to do with whether or not he deserves a spot in Canton. And two things can be true: You can think he’s an awesome and one of the best ever professional coaches, and also think that he has done and said and believes a lot of things that make him look bad and that harm his legacy.
“It should not prevent him from getting in the Hall of Fame, and if they don’t put him in on the first ballot, the body has no credibility whatsoever.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find many who disagree with Florio’s take. Belichick is widely regarded as the greatest NFL head coach of all time, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame would not be taken seriously without him in it.
Can the same be said about Kraft?
“If Jerry Jones is in, Robert Kraft should be in,” Florio said. “Their impact is equivalent. One was more open and present and boisterous and out there acting like the carnival barker that he is. Robert Kraft is more of a master of working behind the scenes to get the NFL to where it now is. They’re are two sides of the same coin.
“One presided over a team that won three Super Bowls and ultimately didn’t maintain what it had because he couldn’t tolerate sharing the spotlight with a Hall of Fame head coach. Robert Kraft shared the spotlight, surrendered the spotlight, to a Hall of Fame head coach for 24 years, and put up with a lot of stuff.”
Also in this episode:
- Where does Dan Orlovsky rank the Patriots?
- Orlovsky on Drake Maye’s drastic improvement.
