Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots officially parted ways on Thursday. The legendary head coach began a press conference announcing the seismic news with a joke about Tim Tebow.
“I haven’t seen this many cameras since we signed Tebow,” Belichick said when approaching the podium.
Tebow responded with a self-deprecating dig at his brief Patriots run before sending his regards to Belichick.
“That’s about all I did,” Tebow wrote. “Congrats on being one of the greatest ever Coach!”
That’s about all I did lol. Congrats on being one of the greatest ever Coach! https://t.co/tfXsBWxjeu
— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) January 11, 2024
Tebow ended his Denver Broncos tenure with a lopsided playoff loss to Belichick’s Pats in January 2012. The Heisman Trophy winner spent one season with the New York Jets before New England signed him in 2013.
Competing for a roster spot behind Tom Brady, Tebow struggled in preseason action and got cut before the season began. The former Florida star hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since.
Tebow transitioned to an analyst role on the SEC Network and tried his hand at baseball before Urban Meyer’s Jacksonville Jaguars signed him in 2021. An attempt to play tight end didn’t pan out.
Despite completing fewer than half his passes with a 75.3 career quarterback rating, Tebow drew immense attention wherever he went. Yet Belichick’s exit is an undeniably big deal.
Belichick won nine AFC titles and six Super Bowls during his Patriots tenure. He’s second behind Don Shula in all-time wins among NFL head coaches.
Unfortunately, his run didn’t end smoothly. Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe didn’t look much better than Teblow when New England went 4-13 with just 13.9 points per game this season.
“I’ll always be a Patriot,” Belichick said Thursday. “I look forward to coming back here. But at this time, we’re going to move on. I’m excited about the future.”