Bill Belichick might have moved on from the NFL, but the league will never move on from him. After all, he is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. During the last wild card game of the season, Vikings vs. Rams game, the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach graced the Manning brothers’ show. The Manning brothers sure know how to make their final ‘ManningCast‘ episode one for the books. Eli Manning and Peyton decided to add a playful twist to the show.

Dressed in cutoff quarter-zip hoodies, an homage to the coach’s iconic look. The brothers set the tone for a night full of laughs and football banter. “You can see we’re sporting the Belichick cutoff hoodie, but these are special Belichick hoodies because they have the quarter zip,” said Eli Manning. Belichick, who has now taken over UNC’s Tar Heels football as the head coach, was overwhelmed when Eli made a sweet request.

The former Giants QB sweetly asked Belichick to wear one of the hoodies during UNC’s next season, just like the ones the Manning brothers had on .“But don’t worry, we’ll be sending a couple of these down to UNC. We’re expecting you to be wearing this week one next season, for sure,” added Eli. 

Touched by the sweet gesture, the legendary coach laughed and said, “Thanks, guys. You’re awesome.” During the show, Bill also weighed in on a highly controversial moment during the Rams vs. Vikings wild-card game. Rams QB Matthew Stafford was under serious heat from the Vikings’ pass rush when he went down, and the ball popped loose. The Vikings scooped it up and took it to the house—looked like a massive game-changer. But hold up! After review, the refs decided Stafford’s motion was a forward pass (incomplete) and waved off the touchdown. Oh, and no intentional grounding penalty either. Let’s just say… not everyone was thrilled.

“There’s no rules to help the defense in the NFL. You can get away with that and call it an incomplete pass. It’s an offensive league, you guys should coach defense in the NFL, you know what it’s like,” said Belichick. The former Pats coach also shared some heartwarming words for the former Giants QB as he makes it to the Hall of Fame nomination.

Bill Belichick is rooting for Eli Manning

This year, the NFL nominated Eli Manning, a sixteen-year veteran, for one of the league’s biggest honors. The 44-year-old has his name in the Hall of Fame nominations this year. Eli had an impressive career with the Giants, which included two memorable Super Bowl wins over Bill’s Patriots. And the former Pats coach believes that Eli is going to bring this one home. On the ManningCast show, Belichick gave a playful nod to Eli, saying, “Eli, you don’t look that good in a hooded, but you look great in a gold jacket.” It must be pretty wild for Belichick to see Eli Manning getting Hall of Fame recognition.

Belichick watched Eli grow from a young QB into a two-time Super Bowl champion, taking down his Pats both times. I mean, talk about a rivalry! It’s one thing to coach against him, but now seeing him get the respect he deserves on such a big stage, you can bet Belichick’s feeling proud. (Maybe even a little nostalgic about those tough Super Bowl losses). 

So, Eli’s about to find out if he’s heading to Canton during the NFL Honors on Feb. 6. It’s a big moment for him. And you can tell how much this nomination means after such a solid 16-year career with the Giants. It’s not just about stats; it’s the whole journey. We’ll all be waiting to see if he gets that gold jacket, and honestly, it feels like he deserves it.