Two hours after Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick’s joint press conference addressing their mutual parting of ways, Kraft returned to the podium to field questions from reporters.
The Patriots’ owner opened by calling it a “very emotional day for the organization” and the end of an era “that will be hard to replicate, at least in my lifetime, if ever.”
He acknowledged the last few years have been “pretty tough” for the organization and took responsibility for those failings.”Our family is the custodian of this asset, and we know how important it is to the psyche of the community, and what’s gone on here the last three years isn’t what we want. We have a responsibility to do what we can to fix it to the best of our ability.”
Kraft admitted he didn’t have an explanation for the fallout, saying “So many games were close, is it the coaching? Is it the personnel? Something isn’t quite right from where it was.”
When asked about the decision to move on from Belichick, Kraft responded, “I think both of us felt that the time was right for each of us to go off in our separate directions,” calling football a results business. Kraft also touched on the positive side of their discussions over the past few days, saying he thinks their relationship went to a new place.
Rumors of 2023 being Belichick’s final season have been circulating for weeks, reaching a head after the team’s loss to the Colts in Germany. Kraft shot down the idea that he and Belichick spoke about the latter’s job security during the season, telling reporters, “You have to wait until the season is over. You can’t be a fan when you have the responsibility of making strategic decisions…He was always giving it his all, and that’s what was most important to me.”
There has also been speculation over whether Kraft would attempt to trade Belichick for draft compensation. When asked about the possibility, Kraft answered, “I didn’t think it was right for Tom Brady, who gave us 20 years, and I don’t think it’s right for Bill,” saying each Patriots legend earned the right to do what was best for them.
Robert Kraft also pushed back against the narrative that New England’s dynasties were due solely to Brady’s efforts, calling football the ultimate team game. “I don’t think either one of those two would have accomplished everything they accomplished if they weren’t together.”
During Belichick’s end-of-season press conference, he said he would relinquish personnel control if it were best for the team. Kraft admitted that while the team considered this option, he decided it wouldn’t work, saying “We thought about that… When you have someone like Bill who’s had control over every decision… To then take some of that power away and give it to someone else, accountability is important to me… It’s going to set up confusion.”
Kraft also revealed how Belichick obtained full control over New England’s football operations, saying it didn’t happen until “after the third Super Bowl” and was “built it up over time.” “In my opinion, he earned it. And it worked pretty well for most of the time.”
Regarding the team’s vacant head coaching and general manager spots, Kraft said the team “will try to move very quickly to solve those issues,” but their current focus is on working out the split with Belichick.
When asked what the Patriots are looking for in a head coach, Kraft reiterated his goal since the team’s blowout loss during the 2021 Wild Card Round in Buffalo. “We’re looking for someone who can help us get back to the playoffs and win. Believe me, after my family this is really one of the two most important assets in my life. I am very upset when we don’t win games. And it carries the whole week. So I promise I will do the best I can to make sure we’re putting ourselves in the best long-term position to win for many years.”
On whether there will be any immediate tributes for Belichick, Kraft said it would be awkward to do while he’s still coaching, but that he hopes “when that’s all over we can do something that properly honors him and what he did for us.”
