Bill Belichick takes subtle dig at New York Jets’ franchise while hyping Geno Smith, Sam Darnold

Bill Belichick is regarded as the greatest head coach in NFL history. He won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, had a record of 266-121 in the regular season, and went 30-12 in the playoffs across 26 seasons with the AFC East franchise.

Before his legendary tenure with the Jets, Belichick was the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets for three seasons. He also became the head coach of the Jets in 2000 but resigned after just one day.

Since then, the 72-year-old coach has harbored resentment toward the Jets, which was evident in his latest comments on the "Let's Go" podcast.

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Bill Belichick continued his rivalry with the Jets

Bill Belichick: New York Jets v New England Patriots - Source: Getty

During his appearance on the podcast, Belichick was asked about how to find an ideal quarterback for your team in the NFL. While answering the question, the current North Carolina head coach took a subtle dig at the Jets franchise.

“Well, you might take a look at the ones that the Jets have released," Belichick said. "Geno Smith and Sam Darnold, they've done pretty well. I think there are quarterbacks like that, you know, Mayfield is an example, Geno Smith's an example, Sam Darnold is an example. Even Russell Wilson, this year, [they] were guys that nobody really wanted, and they've played pretty well."

"I think that teams will evaluate those opportunities as well," He continued. "Honestly, the cost on these players is a lot less than some of the guys who are making in the $50 million range. I mean, Jameis Winston is another guy that you know had a really good year when he played in Cleveland.”

The Jets drafted Darnold with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The 27-year-old quarterback went 13-25 in three seasons with the franchise while throwing for 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions with a poor passer rating of 78.6. He has redeemed his career with the Minnesota Vikings and is on track to sign a lucrative deal this offseason if he isn't franchise-tagged.

Smith also experienced the same fate after leaving the Jets. The 34-year-old quarterback has turned out to be a pretty good leader for the Seattle Seahawks and signed a three-year $75 million contract extension in 2023.

He went 12-18 in 30 starts for the Jets across four seasons but has performed quite well for the Seahawks. In the last three seasons, Smith has thrown for 12,226 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions in 49 games, with a passer rating of 95.5.

Belichick mocking the Jets with remarks on their evaluation of quarterbacks is quite on point. After failed experiments with Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, nobody knows who their quarterback will be in the 2025 NFL season.

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