There’s petty. There’s personal. And then there’s ‘Jets Week’ under Bill Belichick. For two decades, Belichick built the Patriots into a dynasty fueled by discipline, silence, and the emotionless death stare. But somehow, one particular team always managed to poke the bear. Not with wins – God no! – but with history. As NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran bluntly put it: “He loathes them to the very marrow of his being.” And if you know the Jets-Belichick saga, you know we’re not talking about your average division beef. We’re talking about napkins, cold shoulders, and a betrayal that still haunts New York’s front office.
So when you hear that Patriots players felt hatred before facing the Jets, it starts to click. It wasn’t just another game. It was a grudge match – staged in Belichick’s mind, replayed every season, twice a year. And now, thanks to a little storytelling on Lots To Say, we finally have confirmation that the bitterness wasn’t just fan fiction.
Matt Cassel, former Patriots QB and Belichick disciple, didn’t hold back when he hopped on Lots To Say with Bobby Bones. The NFL Network posted the reel with a side-eye emoji, and they weren’t wrong. “Every time we played the Jets, there was a hatred within the building,” Cassel said. “And it started with Bill Belichick. He wanted to embarrass that team every time.” For a coach who treated every game like an identical file folder – no peeking, no distractions – that kind of open emotion was rare. Bones asked him if it was unusual to see Belichick show that kind of fire to a specific opponent. Cassel didn’t hesitate: “It was rare. Because every team you put on the same level, right? And no team was bigger than the next… But – Jets Week was different.”
So much so that players called it out. Not ‘Division Game.’ Just Jets Week. It came with its own curse and custom rage package. Cassel said Belichick “openly kind of said it and communicated it to everybody, and we’d say ‘It’s Jets week.’” Which, in Belichick’s world, means it wasn’t just strategy. It was spite.
For context: Back in 1999, Belichick bailed on the Jets – literally scribbled a resignation on a napkin before dipping to a New England press conference or goodbye. Just “I resign as HC of the NYJ.” Four weeks later, the Patriots traded for him. Twenty-four years, six rings, and one dynasty later, the Jets were still seeing ghosts. But if anyone still believed Bill Belichick might bury the hatchet and coach the Jets someday, he personally nuked that theory on national television.
Bill Belichick’s Jets grudge runs deep
Back in October 2024, Belichick appeared on ESPN’s ManningCast during a Monday night Jets-Bills game. What started as casual commentary quickly turned into a passive-aggressive roast of his former employer – and then just straight-up aggressive. “I’m not a big Jets fan, in case you don’t know that,” Belichick said. He threw a little love to Fireman Ed – because sure, respect the superfan – but then it got icy.
He credited Robert Saleh for instilling toughness in the team before launching into a not-so-subtle shot at Jets owner Woody Johnson. “They’ve barely won over 30 percent in the last 10 years,” Belichick added. “The owner being the owner, just ready, fire, aim.” That wasn’t analysis. And it wasn’t the first time he’s made it clear.
After decades of clowning the Jets on the field, Belichick’s comments on ManningCast felt like the closing chapter on any chance of a reunion. Sure, his ‘inner circle’ reportedly reached out to the Jets after Robert Saleh was fired, but even then, New York was “stunned” by the idea. Deep down, both sides knew it would never happen. He didn’t just leave the Jets. He ghosted them, embarrassed them, out-coached them, and still had enough bitterness left to toss comments on live TV.
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