Bill Belichick has revealed in his new book that he made a major mistake by not drafting Lamar Jackson for the New England Patriots.

The 72-year-old won six Super Bowls as Patriots head coach, forming a legendary partnership with Tom Brady.

But when Brady had left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a bitter fall out with his head coach, Belichick’s tenure in New England began to nose dive.

He was never really able to find a capable successor to Brady with Cam Newton, Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe all used in his search for a replacement.

However, Belichick and a number of other NFL teams missed a golden opportunity to draft a franchise quarterback in Jackson back in 2018.

Nobody selected Jackson in the early stages of the draft, including his Baltimore Ravens. Instead, the Ravens traded up to select the Louisville quarterback with pick No. 32.

Bill Belichick revealed in his new book he made a major mistake by not drafting Lamar Jackson

The Ravens traded up to select the quarterback with pick No. 32 – the one after the Patriots

Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP and has led the Ravens to the playoffs in five of his six seasons

To make things worse for Belichick and the Patriots, they took running back Sony Michael with the pick before.

It is a decision that obviously still haunts Belichick to this day, as he references in his new book ‘The Art of Winning’.

‘Where the book falls short is chapter 10, “Mistakes,”‘ writes the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who received an advanced copy of the work.

‘Belichick does admit to a few—[including] not drafting Lamar Jackson in 2018.’ 

Brady had two more seasons in New England after Jackson was drafted by the Ravens, but he has gone on to establish himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. 

Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP winner and has led the Ravens to the playoffs in five of his six seasons. 

That included a trip to their first AFC Championship game since 2012 in 2023, where they lost at home to the Kansas City Chiefs.