Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will co-host “The Pat McAfee Show’s” annual Draft Spectacular next week, McAfee announced ahead of the Super Bowl-winning coach’s appearance on Wednesday’s episode.
Belichick parted ways with Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots after 24 seasons this offseason in what was a massive shakeup between a coach and franchise that were synonymous with success for more than two decades.
BREAKING: 8x Super Bowl Champion 🐐 Bill Belichick will be co-hosting the Draft Spectacular with us next Thursday
🗣🗣LET’S GOOOO #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/6dA8vDmcqx
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 17, 2024
Belichick delivered six Super Bowls to New England. He ranks second all-time in wins (including playoffs) among coaches with 333, trailing only Don Shula (347). Under his reign, New England posted a winning record in 20 of 24 seasons.
He and the Patriots parted after New England finished with their worst season (4-13) since 1992 and with a losing record for the third time in four years. In the four years since Tom Brady’s departure, the Patriots went 29-38 with one losing postseason appearance.
Belichick interviewed for various coaching jobs this offseason, including with the Atlanta Falcons, but ultimately was not hired.
Is this going to work?
Even if Belichick was often less than engaging during his press conferences, I expect him to be highly entertaining during this draft show. When Belichick wants to turn it on, he can be an incredible storyteller and has an astounding memory of former players and events in games. (Even in the show announcing his draft plans, Belichick told funny stories about having to plan for potential surprise onside kicks against McAfee, a former NFL player, and of his frustration when Pacman Jones, a former cornerback, returned a punt for a touchdown against the Patriots.)
Belichick’s Friday press conferences occasionally devolved into “storytime with Bill” where he’d regale media members with lengthy info on long snappers or punters. Even amid a terrible season, his appearance on ESPN’s “College Gameday” last season before the Army-Navy game drew positive reviews and showed the kind of television persona he’s capable of having. So given all that, I’d expect Belichick to be good on the draft night show, and lean into stories from previous drafts, which should be especially interesting. — Chad Graff, Patriots beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
