5 takeaways from Robert Kraft’s press conference following Bill Belichick’s exit
"What’s gone on here the last three, four years isn’t what we want."
Just two hours after Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft announced that Belichick’s 24-year tenure in Foxborough was ending, Kraft fielded questions from the media about Belichick’s legacy, the decision to move on from him and what’s next for the Patriots.
The longtime Patriots owner opened his press conference with a statement:
“It’s a very emotional day for the organization, and the end of an era, like I said, that’ll be hard to be replicated, I think at least in my lifetime, if ever,” Kraft said. “I know you all made the effort to be here, so I’d like to do whatever we can, talking about Bill, and the time he spent here.
“The future, I know there will be a lot of questions about the future and we’ll have a chance to cover that in the next few days, but I’m not sure today is the time to do it.”
Here are five takeaways from Kraft’s press conference Thursday:
The reasoning behind Belichick’s firing
Despite the unequaled resume that Belichick compiled in New England over the last 24 years, Kraft kept it simple when asked about the reasoning behind Belichick’s exit.
“Well, the last three years have been pretty tough, and I know for our dedicated fans, and myself, in life I’ve just learned that things happen,” Kraft said. “Our family is the custodian of this asset — the New England Patriots — and we know how important it is to the psyche of the community. What’s gone on here the last three, four years isn’t what we want. So we have a responsibility to do what we can to fix it to the best of our ability.”
Since Tom Brady left New England 2020, the Patriots have gone 29-38 with just one lone playoff appearance — a 47-17 blowout loss to the Bills in the AFC Wild Card Game in January 2022. New England posted losing seasons in three out of the last four years, with their extended woes manifesting into a 4-13 season in 2023.
Despite the bottom-line results that have been lacking over the last few years in Gillette Stadium, Kraft did acknowledge that the decision to move on from Belichick was not one made lightly.
“This is a results business. And certain things in life, it’s instinctual,” Kraft said. “I think both of us felt that the time was right for each of us to go off in our separate directions. You all know Bill as well as I do — for him to say, he’ll always be a Patriot, it gives us … I mean that’s great. The last few days, since Monday, since we’ve been thinking about it and talking about it, I think our relationship went to a new place because, I mean, this is very hard.
“Any of you who are in … it’s like a marriage. Things don’t always go great and you get through the difficult times and it makes the relationship stronger and we had the chance to do that for the last almost quarter of a century, and I think we both felt at this time it was the right thing for us to go our own way. But to know we have that bond and foundation, in this business it’s hard to create that.”
Why New England didn’t field trade offers for Belichick
With Belichick revealing on Monday that he was still under contract with the Patriots, many speculated that New England might opt to trade its longtime coach to another team in order to make the most of his exit.
While Belichick would have to approve any deal, a trade could have stood as a way for New England to recoup additional draft picks in order to further accelerate the team’s looming rebuild.
But ultimately, Kraft said that the Patriots did not want to end Belichick’s tenure with a transaction — allowing him to leave on his own terms and have the opportunity to explore all options for his next destination.
“I’m fortunate in our family, our businesses are all private, so we try to create a culture and develop an environment where people want to stay long term,” Kraft explained. “I guess, if you look at this as a transaction, he is so valuable and how we could extract something.
“I didn’t think that was right for Tom Brady, who gave us 20 years, and I don’t think it’s right for Bill. Each of them earned the right to be in the position to do what’s right for them, given what they’ve done for this franchise. Some people might criticize me for not extracting as much value, and I understand that, but we try to do what’s right for the proper values.”
Brady or Belichick?
In a narrative that will surely be replayed countless times over in the coming years, Kraft was asked about the impact of both Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady as the architects of a two-decade dynasty — and whether or not one deserves more credit over the other.
“It’s not the first time I’ve heard that question,” Kraft said. “Why I love the NFL and why I think it’s great for young people to play it … It’s a great lesson in life, because I don’t think there’s anything else, any other sport or any other experience, that’s as much team-based and collective-based as football.
“And I don’t think either one of those two would have accomplished what they accomplished if they weren’t together. And it’s, you know, I think they’re both the best at their professions, and we were lucky to have them together for two decades.”
Any change during the season?
While it became apparent by October that the 2023 season was quickly sliding off the rails in New England, Kraft stressed that he didn’t want to make any reactionary decisions with Belichick before the season had officially come to a close.
“This is a business that you have to wait until the season’s over, you can’t be a fan when you have the responsibility of making strategic decisions that aren’t short-term or what I call transactional, based on one incident,” Kraft noted. “And you change, you change your mind, things change so fast, I mean, you look at some teams in the league that started out so hot and then they lose five or six games.
“The thing with Bill that was unique and special is his work ethic is so strong, and that’s what I looked at. He always gave us the best he had, there wasn’t a shortage of effort, now whether he has the right people around him or he selected the right players, that we can make judgment on, but he was always giving it his all, and that was what was most important to me.”
Kraft was also asked about how passionately Belichick vouched for his job when the time came to finally meet this week and discuss his next steps.
“We have had a partnership where we’ve gone through all kinds of situations, this was really unique,” Kraft said. “And I have a saying when I’m making important decisions. I try to measure nine times and cut once because you want to be sure.
“And this is one of those times, we went through the season we went through, and you realize how capable he is and you try to understand why you wound up where you are, and it just is something that, it was best we each moved on. i think that’s what the last three to four days of taking the time to figure it out allowed us to do.”
What’s next?
As for the next steps for the Patriots, Kraft mapped out what New England is looking for in its next head coach.
“I’ll just say 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 you I’ll be focused to do the best I can do to make sure we’re putting ourselves in the best long-term position to win for many years.”
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