Texans legend J.J. Watt lays into voters for Bill Belichick’s HOF snub

Jan. 28, 2026, 4:50 p.m. CT

Even J.J. Watt knows that Bill Belichick is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The Houston Texans’ great and three-time Defensive Player of the Year couldn’t hold back his frustrations on social media Tuesday after the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach of the New England Patriots was left off the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“This has to be some knock-off Hall of Fame or something, it can’t be the actual NFL Hall of Fame,” Watt posted to his X account on Tuesday evening. “There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer.” 

Belichick, who spent over two decades at the helm in New England and ranks second all-time in wins behind first-ballot honoree Don Shula, received 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction in his first year of eligibility, according to ESPN. While the voting committee is mostly made up of longtime NFL reporters and journalists, it also includes names like former Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian.

Polian made comments on Belichick’s snub earlier Tuesday afternoon, which drew immediate pushback from the public. It’s warrented since Belichick, who also won two Super Bowls as an assistant, has as many titles as Shula, Tom Landry and Chuck Noll combined, which are the only three first-ballott Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches.

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Watt wasn’t the only future Canton-bound figure who pushed back on Belichick’s snub. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes said he didn’t “understand how this could be possible.”  

The 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 will officially be unveiled during the NFL Honors award show on Feb. 5 in San Francisco. While fans will know who is next to make the Hall of Fame, they will not release the ballots to the public, thus leaving an open door as to which voters chose to snub the former Patriots and current North Carolina head coach a chance to become part of history.