The NFL Honors is approaching, and the football community is passionately debating who should enter the Hall of Fame this year, but Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft’s omissions have raised questions about Tom Brady’s prospects for the Golden Jacket. The selection committee drew significant backlash for some of its past decisions, and this year adds another anecdote to the sentiment.
Will Brady be a first-ballot Hall of Famer?
How Did One Former All-Pro Compare Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame Chances to Robert Kraft’s?
Belichick and Kraft’s omissions this year sparked heated debates about how individuals are selected for the Hall of Fame. Belichick reportedly missed his first-ballot shot due to “Spygate” and “Deflategate.”
As for Kraft, the New England Patriots owner allegedly missed the Hall this year again due to non-football incidents that still linger around his induction.
“They got it wrong (Belichick’s snub),” said two-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy on “Speakeasy.”
“He should’ve been a first-ballot coach in the Hall of Fame. But the Hall of Fame committee has got it wrong before — certain players, certain coaches,” said McCoy.
“We all can agree that Tom Brady is the best quarterback that’s ever played this game and HE WILL be a first-ballot HOFer”
– @CutonDime25 sounds off about speculation that Tom Brady may not get in the HOF as a first-ballot pic.twitter.com/SudwU95q35
— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) February 4, 2026
Belichick and Kraft’s snubs raised questions about whether Brady will also have a tough time getting his Golden Jacket in a few years. McCoy, however, doesn’t think so.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that we all can agree, ourselves and voters, that Tom Brady is the best quarterback that has ever played this game,” he said. “The brother has seven championships — six with one team, and one in his first year with a new team. All his stats, from touchdown passes to touchdown yards — he has all that.”
Kraft, on the other hand, is a different situation. While the Patriots’ owner runs one of the most successful teams in NFL history, in 2019, he was part of a high-profile controversy where he allegedly paid for sexual services at a massage parlor.
“The Robert Kraft thing is tricky, though,” McCoy added. “And I really don’t mind [his snub]. You know, a lot of NFL players — sometimes it’s not about how you play the game that you don’t get [in]. Some things you do in the media, or some things you do outside of football that might be the reason you don’t get in. Robert Kraft’s a great owner, good person, but he has some stuff outside the business world and football with the Patriots that he got in trouble for.”
The Hall of Fame selection committee has shown a tendency to attach significant weight to an individual’s personal conduct when considering them for the Hall. Terrell Owens stands as one of the sport’s biggest examples of this. Despite being a five-time First-Team All-Pro and more, he only got his Golden Jacket in his third year of eligibility.
As for Brady, however, the NFL community generally believes he’ll have no trouble getting in on his first ballot. He still had a 73.4 rating (PFSN QB Impact) in his final year in the league at age 45.
