Bill Belichick takes shot at Jets over Sam Darnold’s success

Jan 31, 2018; Bloomington, MN, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during a press conference at the Mall of America in advance of Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Belichick has taken some time off from coaching in the NFL, but it appears his disdain for the New York Jets remains fully intact.

During his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday, Belichick was asked for his thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings and whether he believes they are a legitimate contender. The six-time Super Bowl champion said he believes the 3-0 Vikings are one of the top teams in the NFL. Without being prompted, Belichick then took a shot at the Jets for not developing Sam Darnold.

“I’ll say this: Everybody has liked Darnold except the Jets,” Belichick said. “The people at Carolina that I talked to, they really liked him. He was with the Rams, not for very long, they liked him. I think they wanted to re-sign him. He was looking for more of an opportunity than to play behind (Matthew) Stafford. I know that Kevin (O’Connell) and some of the coaches in Minnesota, they really like this guy too. So, it seemed like the only people that didn’t like Darnold were the Jets.”

You can hear Belichick’s comments at the 1:19 mark:

"Right now the Vikings are one of the top two or three teams in the league..

Everybody has liked Sam Darnold except for the Jets" ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Q6OadTmjwl

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 23, 2024

Belichick may have been saying the Jets gave up on Darnold too soon. His point may also have been that New York did a poor job of developing Darnold, which is why the former No. 3 overall pick took so long to become an effective NFL starter. Either way, Belichick seems to feel the Jets were to blame for Darnold’s lack of success early in the quarterback’s career.

Geno Smith is another example of a quarterback who was drafted early by the Jets and did not find success until later in his career. Smith is in his third season with the Seattle Seahawks and has been a very effective starter for them.

Belichick was the head coach of the Jets for exactly one day in 2000. He resigned to become the head coach in New England, and the rest is history. He has found numerous ways to mess with the Jets since then. His comments about Darnold are probably the latest.