Everything Bill Belichick displayed during his two decades with the New England Patriots showed he despised the New York Jets.
He stared and smirked, almost manically, when he outsmarted former Jets head coach Adam Gase. He showed no mercy in how the Patriots ran up the score during routine butt-whoopings. He even took shots at the organization in his post-coaching career, shading the Jets for the Sam Darnold situation.
History makes it difficult to believe Belichick would ever serve as head coach of the Jets. Though the opportunity is there after New York fired head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday.
Belichick's hatred of the Jets, and how he claims it originated, is exactly why it would make sense, however. The Hoodie in Gotham. What a perfectly ironic conclusion to his Hall of Fame career.
The root of Belichick's ill-will toward the Jets is well-documented. He wasn't keen on the franchise's ownership changing hands just as he was about to start his head coaching tenure. Belichick had an agreement with then-Jets owner Leon Hess to take over for Bill Parcells and then Hess died.
"Essentially the problem I had with the whole arrangement eventually was when all of this transpired there was no owner," Belichick said during ESPN's "The Two Bills."
"Mr. Hess passed away before the '99 season. There were two potential owners and that was (Woody) Johnson and (Charles) Dolan. I hadn't spoken with either one, but I had issues with both, and it wasn't Mr. Hess anymore, which was the original agreement or the original context we talked about. That whole ownership configuration at that point in time was a major factor in my decision much more than a personal relationship."
Johnson was granted ownership, but by the time he signed the paperwork Belichick already was out the door en route to New England. Belichick famously resigned during what was supposed to be his introductory press conference and delivered his resignation letter on a loose napkin.
Belichick had issues with Johnson at the time, he confirmed. You know an owner Belichick might have issues with now? Robert Kraft.
Because while Kraft and Belichick publicly exchanged pleasantries and hugs when the team announced its "mutual" parting of ways, everything that surfaced since then painted a different picture.
Belichick couldn't have appreciated the documented agreement between Kraft and Jerod Mayo, right? And Apple TV's documentary "The Dynasty: New England Patriots" largely was viewed as a Belichick smear campaign green lighted by Kraft Productions. Belichick made it known how he felt about it, albeit in humorous fashion.
"Seriously, I'm so honored to be here for the roast of Tom Brady on Netflix," Belichick said during "The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady." "It's not to be confused with the roast of Bill Belichick on the 10-part Apple TV series."
There apparently was behind-the-scenes tension between Belichick and Kraft during the roast, as Julian Edelman and others expressed. The two didn't share the stage during the Patriots Hall of Fame enshrinement for Brady, either.
Belichick once referred to his resignation from the Jets as one of the greatest moments of his career. Partnering with Johnson and the Jets, however, might give Belichick an opportunity to top it.
