He’s the guy who gave us "We’re on to Cincinnati" and spent two decades staring holes through reporters in post-game pressers. But in late 2024, the football world saw a version of Bill Belichick that nobody—and I mean nobody—had on their bingo card.
The image that blew up everyone’s feed wasn't a clip of a well-executed blitz. It was a 72-year-old legendary coach on a beach, holding a fishing rod, looking like he’d finally found something more interesting than a 3-4 defensive scheme.
Honestly, the Bill Belichick Halloween costume 2024 wasn't just a costume. It was a cultural reset for a man who spent 24 years hiding his personality under a tattered hoodie. He went from the "Hoodie" to a fisherman, and the Internet didn't know whether to laugh or call a timeout.
What Was the Bill Belichick Halloween Costume 2024?
Basically, the 2024 theme was "The Big Catch."
The photos, which were first dropped on Instagram by his girlfriend Jordon Hudson, 24, featured a full-blown beach photo shoot. Belichick didn't half-heartedly throw on a hat and call it a day. He leaned in. Hard.
The six-time Super Bowl champion was decked out in:
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- A heavy-duty yellow and black fisherman’s raincoat.
- A wide-brimmed tan fishing hat.
- Baggy jeans and black rubber boots that looked like they actually belonged on a boat in Maine.
- A literal fishing rod, which he used as a prop to "reel in" Hudson.
Hudson played the part of the mermaid, wearing a shimmering red and gold tail and a beaded shell-shaped top. They posed right on the edge of the surf. In one of the most shared photos, Hudson is sprawled out on the sand looking up at the coach while he pretends to hook her. She captioned the whole thing "Ouucchhhh!!!" with a hook emoji.
It was a far cry from the stoic, "Do Your Job" era we all grew up with in New England.
Why This Specific Look Went Viral
Let’s be real for a second. If any other coach did this, it’s a blip on the radar. But this is Bill Belichick. This is the man who once showed up to a Randy Moss roller-skating party dressed as a pirate decades ago, but otherwise kept his personal life in a vault.
Seeing him smiling—actually smiling—while role-playing a fisherman on a beach felt like a glitch in the Matrix.
Then there’s the context of his ex-girlfriend, Linda Holliday. Just days before the "Mermaid" photos surfaced, Holliday posted her own Halloween look: Uma Thurman’s character from Kill Bill. You don't need to be a film critic or a gossip columnist to see the subtext there. The timing made the Bill Belichick Halloween costume 2024 feel like a strategic play-call in a very public relationship saga.
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People also couldn't stop talking about the 49-year age gap. Whether it was on Reddit or The Pat McAfee Show, the jokes wrote themselves. McAfee actually asked Belichick on-air if he’d been "fishing" lately. Belichick, showing that new media-trained side of himself, just grinned and said, "Yeah, I got a big one."
A Year of "Firsts" for the GOAT
2024 was a weird transition year for Belichick. For the first time since the mid-90s, he wasn't on an NFL sideline. Instead, he was everywhere else.
He joined Instagram in September 2024. He was doing weekly spots on ESPN. He was appearing on The ManningCast. The fisherman costume was sort of the exclamation point on his "unemployment" era. It showed a guy who was finally comfortable being a person rather than just a personification of "The Patriot Way."
Before the mermaid shoot, Hudson actually teased another look. She wore a cropped New York Giants T-shirt and those infamous short-shorts Belichick wore back in the 80s when he was a defensive coordinator. It was a deep-cut fan service for the football nerds, but the fisherman/mermaid combo is what ultimately broke the internet.
The Aftermath and the 2025 "Tribute"
The costume was so iconic that by the following Halloween in 2025, it became a literal meme.
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Homeowners in North Carolina—near where Belichick was spending time after taking a role with UNC—actually set up skeleton displays in their yards. One viral display featured a skeleton dressed as a fisherman reeling in a mermaid skeleton. If you’ve reached the "skeleton parody in a stranger’s yard" level of fame, you’ve officially made it into the pop culture hall of fame.
What This Tells Us About the "New" Bill
Kinda makes you wonder what happened to the guy who wouldn't give a straight answer about an injury report, right?
The Bill Belichick Halloween costume 2024 proved a few things:
- He has a sense of humor: The guy knows what people say about him and his relationship. The "Big Catch" theme was a giant wink to the audience.
- He’s done with the "Hoodie" persona: While he still loves the game, he’s no longer tethered to the image of the grumpy genius.
- Jordon Hudson is a major influence: From the beach yoga photos to the coordinated costumes, it’s clear Hudson has helped him navigate a very different kind of public life than he had with the Kraft family.
If you’re looking to recreate the look yourself for a couple's costume, you don't need much. Just a Grundéns-style raincoat, a cheap rod, and a partner willing to wear a tail. But honestly, you’ll never match the sheer shock value of the original.
Takeaways for your next themed party:
- Don't be afraid to lean into the joke everyone is already making about you.
- Props matter. The fishing rod made the photo; without it, he's just a guy in a raincoat.
- Location is everything. If they’d taken those photos in a living room, they wouldn't have been half as effective as the beach setting.
If you want to track the evolution of his public image further, check out his recent appearances on Inside the NFL or follow his (surprisingly active) Instagram. He’s clearly not hiding anymore.