Robert Kraft is one of the greatest owners in NFL history. He was one of the pillars that propped up the New England Patriots dynasty, and he deserves induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But Kraft’s recent public appearances have done more harm than good to the franchise he genuinely loves. And it’s fair to wonder whether his son, Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, should assume a more forward-facing role — one that reflects his increasing power behind the scenes.
Even as his 83rd birthday approaches, Robert Kraft is still a titan in the NFL, a massively influential owner who plays a key role in many of the league’s endeavors. However, throughout the offseason, Kraft has shot himself in the foot when commenting on the Patriots, and that trend continued this week.
Robert Kraft Makes Surprising Admission About Ex-Patriot Jakobi Meyers
Kraft’s public slip-ups this offseason have ranged from subtle to overt. Let’s start with the most recent example, which could slot into either category.
Kraft and Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams were guests on the latest episode of the YouTube series The Shop. At one point, Adams began explaining how he learns new receiving skills from teammate Jakobi Meyers, who left the Patriots last offseason to sign with the Raiders. That caused Kraft to interject.
“We shouldn’t have let him go,” the Patriots owner said.
Kraft is right. The Patriots, who might have the worst receiver group in the NFL, shouldn’t have let Meyers go last offseason. Meyers wasn’t a star with the Patriots, but he led the team in receiving in each of his final three seasons with the franchise and was a respected leader in the locker room.
But Kraft didn’t need to admit it.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft — Ranking Supporting Casts of Teams That Could Draft a First-Round QB
At best, it served as another clear shot at former Patriots head coach and general manager Bill Belichick, which is par for the course this offseason (more on that in a bit). However, at worst, the remark put even more pressure on two of the Patriots’ current top executives, de facto GM Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh.
Both decision-makers were in the front office last offseason when the Patriots let Meyers walk and replaced him with JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was terrible in 2023. And at least one report indicates Belichick had to be sold on Smith-Schuster, potentially indicating he wasn’t fully on board with moving on from Meyers.
Are we reading too many tea leaves? Perhaps, but it’s Kraft’s fault for continually inviting scrutiny on himself and his employees. There’s been way too much of that this offseason.
And then there was this comment on the hiring of head coach Jerod Mayo:
“In the last decade, the players coming into the locker room are different than when you (Adams) came in. How you relate to them, how you connect, we’re the ultimate team sport. You can get paid and be No. 1, but in the end, if you want to win, you’re putting team first. And you need guys around you who do that.
“And this guy (Mayo) did it. And I think he can relate to young people today.”
On the surface, the comment seems like another fair endorsement of Mayo, whom Patriots players revere as a players’ coach. But the remark also could be interpreted as another jab at Belichick, who struggled in recent years to connect with younger players — just ask Patriots legend Matthew Slater.
Kraft, either by staying in the background or being careful with his words, never used to generate this kind of controversy. But those days are over.
It Started During Bill Belichick’s Farewell Event
Well, it actually started a few years ago when Kraft first began calling out the Patriots’ post-Tom Brady struggles and years of subpar drafting. And it peaked last March when Kraft openly recruited Lamar Jackson while at NFL Owners’ Meetings. But let’s focus on this offseason.
In early January, Kraft and Belichick met in front of reporters at Gillette Stadium to announce a “mutual” parting of ways. They laughed. They hugged. Belichick even got perilously close to shedding a tear.
But then Belichick left the facility. An hour later, reporters reconvened in an auditorium to lob questions at Kraft. The first question — Why was moving on from Belichick the right move? — drew an answer that made it clear the split was neither mutual nor amicable.
“Well, the last three years have been pretty tough,” Kraft said. “And I know for our dedicated fans, and myself, in life I’ve just learned that things happen. 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.”
Translation: Our downfall was Belichick’s fault, and I fired him.
With comments like that, Kraft set the tone for the offseason, and his highest-ranking employees followed suit.
“Bill is his own man,” Mayo said during his introductory presser. “If you can’t tell by now, I’m a little bit different. … I will say this: My philosophy, I don’t want to be an echo chamber. I just don’t. I want people who are going to be honest and open and hopefully come together and make a sound decision.”
MORE: Jerod Mayo Gets Candid on Patriots’ NFL Draft Plans, Thoughts About Drake Maye
While meeting with reporters at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Wolf was asked how the Patriots would be different without Belichick.
“Less of a harda– vibe,” he said.
None of this is to say that Kraft, Mayo, or Wolf said anything wrong. But the comments have pitted the Patriots against the greatest head coach in NFL history, and that isn’t good for anyone involved.
“The Dynasty” Docuseries Was a Bad Look For Kraft
Kraft thought the 10-part Apple TV series The Dynasty would be a smash hit and adored by Patriots fans. He probably thought it would boost his Hall of Fame candidacy.
But, from a Patriots perspective, the show was a disaster. Some owners at the NFL meetings this week even were mocking the Patriots and the show behind Kraft’s back, according to Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard.
The players who participated in the show hated the results. Nearly everyone, including Kraft, rightly believes the series focuses too much on the more controversial aspects of the Patriots’ dynasty. Belichick is painted in an especially negative light; you essentially get zero insight into his greatness.
Dante Scarnecchia doesn’t plan to watch “The Dynasty”. He tells @charlieweissr and @BobPapa_NFL on @SiriusXMNFL the reason why:
“When I had heard after the first couple of episodes that they had talked to one coach, I started texting guys and asked Charlie [Weis] if he had been…
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 29, 2024
Again, this is Kraft’s fault. He approved the show, which displays “Kraft Dynasty LLC 2024” as the copyright holder at the end of each episode. And he’s responsible for some of the more direct criticisms of Belichick during the show.
He repeated the line about calling Belichick a “schmuck” during Spygate. His son accused Belichick of being against immediately releasing Aaron Hernandez in 2013. Kraft condemned Belichick for the Malcolm Butler Super Bowl benching. He shared new details on Brady’s disillusionment with Belichick before leaving the franchise in 2020.
None of this was necessary. And even if Kraft was caught off guard by The Dynasty and duped by the showrunners, he’s the face of the final product.
Kraft Said Too Much at NFL Owners’ Meetings
From a reporter’s standpoint, this version of Kraft is invaluable. He’s a one-man newsmaking machine.
Nevertheless, his appearance at the NFL Owners’ Meetings on Tuesday created multiple foot-in-mouth moments.
Kraft blamed Calvin Ridley’s wife, Dominique Fitchard (Kraft incorrectly labeled her Ridley’s “girlfriend”) for the receiver rejecting the Patriots in free agency. New England made a run at Ridley before he signed a lucrative contract with the Tennessee Titans.
MORE: Robert Kraft Makes Stunning Admission About Why Calvin Ridley Rejected Patriots
“There was one outstanding receiver that unfortunately we couldn’t close,” Kraft said, referring to Ridley. “It was not because of finance. Clearly, his girlfriend wanted to be in the South.”
Do you want to know how not to attract star players to your rebuilding franchise? Throw their wives under the bus.
Kraft, ever adamant that he doesn’t meddle in football decisions, also set a clear goal for the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“As a fan — I’ll put my fan hat on — I definitely would,” Kraft said when asked if he wanted the Patriots to draft a QB at No. 3. “In the end, you can’t win in this league consistently unless you have a first-rate quarterback and a first-rate coach.”
Kraft then said the best thing for the franchise might be to trade back, but he finished with, “One way or another, I’d like to see us get a top-rate young quarterback.”
Maybe drafting a quarterback is the best play for the Patriots. Maybe they should trade back and gather more assets. But having the owner publicly declare his preference doesn’t make the job any easier for Mayo and Wolf.
Robert Kraft speaks with the media at the 2024 NFL league meetings. pic.twitter.com/2lqKsBWhlZ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) March 26, 2024
Kraft also tried to do damage control for The Dynasty. Despite approving the project and contributing to some of its more controversial moments, Kraft wants fans disappointed with the show to believe he’s on their side.
“Well, I loved the first three episodes, I really liked (them),” Kraft said. “I felt bad that there was so much emphasis on the more controversial and, let’s say, challenging situations over the last 20 years. I wish they had focused more on our Super Bowl wins, our 21-game win streak.
“I felt bad there were players who gave hours and hours of interviews and they felt only the negativity — people like Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison and Matthew (Slater). Although, I didn’t — I just heard quietly that they’ve all felt that way.”
But what about the way Belichick is portrayed? Kraft also agrees with those complaints, right?
“I feel so privileged that we had Bill here,” a deflecting Kraft told reporters. “And you know, we hope when he’s finished that we’re gonna have a chance to honor him the way we did — we will do with Tom Brady this year. … I look forward to the privilege of putting Bill into the Patriots Hall of Fame one day in the future.”
It would’ve been easy for Kraft to say the show wasn’t fair to Belichick. He easily could’ve invoked multiple franchise legends who’ve shared that very sentiment. He didn’t take the bait, leaving fans to continue speculating on whether Kraft knowingly greenlit a hit piece.
But we’ve saved the worst for last.
The Patriots were one of the worst-performing franchises on the NFLPA’s 2024 report guard, which grades each franchise on various player-focused, quality-of-life criteria.
Notably, New England received an F-minus in the “treatment of families” category. According to the NFLPA, the Patriots are one of seven teams that do not provide daycare support for players’ children on game day. They’re also one of only four teams that don’t offer either a family room or daycare.
KEEP READING: NFL Win Totals 2024 — Chiefs, 49ers, and Ravens Among Early Top Contenders
What’s Kraft’s take?
“I must tell you, I was unaware of how bad that was,” Kraft said. “We’ve had a plan that we put in place where we’re committing to a whole new facility adjacent to ours. That has been discussed with the leadership team and a building that will be in excess of $50 million.
“We have to correct everything. I was not aware of the daycare issue. I mean, that’s something that’s fixable. The players are the heart and soul of the business. I’d be very surprised if that didn’t improve. That (survey) was done during the fifth week of the season.”
That’s all well and good, except there’s one big problem: The Patriots also were one of the worst-performing teams on last year’s NFLPA report card. They were hammered over the quality of their training facilities and treatment of families.
So, there are two possible explanations:
- Kraft knew about last year’s poor grades, did nothing, and lied to reporters this week.
- Kraft really didn’t know anything about the results of last year’s survey.
We’re not sure which option’s worse. But whatever the answer is, it paints a picture of an owner who might be falling out of touch with a franchise he’s run since 1994.
And that would be understandable. He’s 82 years old.
But Kraft, like Belichick, always preaches about doing what’s best for the team and the franchise. If he truly believes that, he should consider taking a back seat and allowing someone else to speak for the Patriots.
Miss football? The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here, boss. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!
