Tom Brady 'Absolutely' Surprised Bill Belichick Wasn't Hired, 'Greatest Coach Ever'

Add Tom Brady to the list of people surprised that Bill Belichick came out of this round of the NFL's head-coach hiring cycle without a job.

On the latest episode of the Let's Go! podcast (starts at 6:15 mark), Brady said he was "absolutely" surprised that the "greatest coach ever" didn't land a job.

Brady did note he's never been in the room when teams are going through the interview process, so he doesn't know the "criteria" they are using to hire coaches.

There was an assumption as soon as Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways that he would immediately land a job with one of the seven other teams looking for a new head coach.

As the process got underway, the Atlanta Falcons were the only team Belichick met with. He was the presumptive favorite after having two interviews with the club in quick succession.

Instead, the Falcons pivoted to hire Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

Per The Athletic's Jeff Howe, Belichick turned teams off because of his "mishandling of the Patriots' quarterback situation in recent years, his desire to maintain total control of football operations and a growing concern over the coach's ability to relate to this generation of players."

There were plenty of rough moments for the Patriots over the past two seasons, but they still ranked in the top half of the league in points allowed per game in both years. They had seven games allowing 20 or fewer points this season.

Belichick is the most successful coach in NFL history. He's won six Super Bowl titles as a head coach and two more as an assistant. His 333 wins in the regular season and playoffs are the second-most all-time, trailing only Don Shula (347).