Robert Kraft believes that all good things must come to an end, even wildly successful coaching tenures.
The Patriots owner has long garnered praise for his management skills, particularly his ability to keep two of the game’s greatest personalities — Tom Brady and Bill Belichick — in lockstep with New England’s goals.
Kraft and Belichick’s relationship was especially fruitful. In 24 seasons with Belichick at the helm, the Patriots reached unprecedented heights, hoisting six Lombardi Trophies amid swirls of confetti.
And yet the era ended this past offseason. Kraft handed Belichick his walking papers in January. Nearly nine months later, Kraft is speaking out about the end final few weeks of Belichick’s tenure as New England boss.
Here’s what you need to know.
Robert Kraft-Bill Belichick relationship, explained
Kraft and Belichick were as good a partnership between owner and head coach as we’ve ever seen in the NFL.
Much of that centered around the organization’s stability. Under Kraft’s stewardship, the Pats made precious few changes, relying on the tried and tested approach of giving Brady and Belichick carte blanche to figure out how to make magic happen on the field.
More often than not, that directive worked a charm. But it wasn’t eternal, particularly when the losses started to compound, Kraft, 83, revealed during a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club.
“I didn’t enjoy having to fire him,” Kraft said. “I didn’t enjoy having to fire him, but I tried to do — if you look at the press conference and how it happened — tried to do it in a classy way.”
When detailing why he let go of the Pats’ beloved play-caller, Kraft was firm.
“What he did for us was great,” Kraft said. “People need to adapt.”
Kraft added that he gave up a lot of concessions to appease Belichick. Although the head coach earned such latitude with his history of successes, it made for awkward viewing as the losses started to pile up.
“I had given him so much power,” Kraft said. “He had full control over everything. Shame on me, I should’ve had some checks and balances better. He had earned that right. But then the results weren’t there.
“If you’re in the sports business, you win or you lose, there’s no gray. And I hate losing.”
After 19 straight winning seasons, Belichick and the Patriots missed the playoffs for the second time in the millennium in 2019. Over the next three years, New England qualified for postseason play just once. Those results seem to have been the death knell in Belichick’s Boston career — and his working relationship with Kraft, too.
