Former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel questioned Bill Belichick’s greatness after the future Hall of Fame head coach and the Patriots parted ways after 24 seasons together on Thursday.
Samuel, who won two Super Bowl titles alongside retired quarterback Tom Brady under Belichick, sent a message to NFL owners with potential interest in Belichick’s services to think twice before handing him a general manager role.
“If any owner would give Bill Belichick that power again,” Samuel, 43, told TMZ. “That would be crazy.”
“Here’s my thing, you’re a coach. You don’t have to be fast. You don’t have to be strong. You don’t have to be agile. All you have to do is use your mind like you always been doing and coach.
“So if you’re so great of a coach, how do you fall off? You didn’t lose anything!”
Belichick, who will turn 72 years old in April, served as both head coach and GM for the Patriots during his tenure in New England.
He made it clear in a press conference Thursday that he wants to continue coaching and is expected to draw interest from several teams, including the Atlanta Falcons, as the coaching carousel spins.
Samuel also doubled down on his previous comments that the Patriots’ success during the Belichick-Brady era — which resulted in six Super Bowl titles — was due to the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“One man, one player determined your success,” the four-time Pro Bowler said.
Samuel did explain that he believes Belichick will win as head coach of another NFL team — but with the right staff.
The All-Pro NFLer said if Belichick reunites with his longtime offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels again and gets “an alpha” GM elsewhere, he could move on to a promising situation.
In July, Samuel ripped Belichick in similar comments he made when asked if he is the best coach in NFL history.
“Absolutely not,” Samuel said during an appearance on the “All Things Covered” podcast. “Are you crazy? Look at his record without Tom. You’ve got to win without Tom.
“One thing I learned about being great is you got to be great in different situations. It was all Tom. I was there. I saw it. It was Tom. Everybody knows it.”
Samuel also said at the time, “I wanna see Belichick get his ass out of there cause it’s time to go.”
Belichick, who had one year remaining on his contract, finished this season with a 4-13 record, which was the Patriots’ worst since 1992.
New England also missed the postseason for the third time in four years following Brady’s departure in 2020.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said Thursday that he didn’t believe it was right to trade Belichick, adding that it was the same for Brady when he left Foxborough in 2020.
Kraft added that the split was amicable and Belichick said he would always be a Patriot and is excited for the future.
Samuel was a fourth-round pick (120 overall) by the Patriots in the 2003 NFL draft, and had a successful five-year stint in Foxborough.
He went on to spend four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, and made the Pro Bowl in three of those campaigns — and led the NFL in interceptions in the 2006 and 2009 seasons.
Samuel last played for the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons before they released him in 2014.
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