Bill Belichick: Resigning From The Jets Was One Of The Great Moments Of My Career

More than 20 years later, Bill Belichick still looks back at the move that ultimately led him to becoming the head coach of the New England Patriots.

During his weekly appearance on WEEI, Belichick was asked about his infamous decision in 2000 to step down from the Jets after just one day as the team’s head coach.

“(That was) not only one of the most defining, but one of the great moments of my career,” Belichick said. “That, combined with Robert Kraft giving me the opportunity to come here, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. That wasn’t a good situation for me, and I didn’t want to be any part of it. So, I wasn’t. The other half of that was Robert giving me the opportunity to come here, and trading, he gave up quite a bit to get me to come here. That was a big trade. So I’m very thankful that it worked out.”

Belichick was the Jets defensive coordinator under his mentor Bill Parcells from 1997-99 and was slated to take over once Parcells resigned after the 1999 season. A day after accepting the position, Belichick took the podium for what was supposed to be his introductory news conference. Instead, he announced that he was resigning, citing “various uncertainties” related to the team’s new ownership as the cause for his decision to step down.

The Patriots gave up a first-round pick to the Jets to hire Belichick as their coach and the rest is history.

Here’s the clip of his resignation:

Belichick arrived in New England and a dynasty began. The Patriots have had just one losing season [Belichick’s first year] and have won six Super Bowls, along with a record 11 consecutive AFC East titles.

The Jets, meanwhile, have gone through six different coaches since trading Belichick away. Their nine-year playoff drought is the third-longest active streak in the NFL.

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