Kraft makes big admission about end of Pats’ Belichick era

While the New England Patriots claimed six Super Bowl championships under owner Robert Kraft from February 2002 through the 2018 season, they are now coming off back-to-back 4-13 campaigns. 

During an appearance on the latest episode of “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” Kraft made it clear how he feels about everything that went wrong with the franchise, both leading up to and following his decision to part ways with legendary head coach Bill Belichick in January 2024. 

“Any Patriots fans that are out there, I can tell you I’m very excited about this upcoming season,” Kraft said, as shared by Karen Guregian of MassLive. “The last two years were the worst years of my 31 years of ownership. We have to change that.”

Kraft and Tom Brady became “tight” during the quarterback’s New England tenure that ran from the 2000 draft up until he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020. Kraft later admitted it was a “mistake” not to hold onto Brady regardless of Belichick’s feelings, and his teams failed to earn a single postseason win from 2020 to 2023. Additionally, Kraft watched as Brady guided Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the club. 

Under first-time head coach Jerod Mayo, the 2024 Patriots lost six of their seven games before Mayo made a controversial remark about the team being “soft.” Following his dismissal this past January, Kraft hired one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner and Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Vrabel to serve as New England’s next coach. 

Vrabel brought back longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to the organization to have him work with second-year quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots also added a proven weapon for Maye in wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Additionally, New England acquired defensive tackle Milton Williams, cornerback Carlton Davis, outside linebacker Harold Landry, linebacker Robert Spillane, offensive tackle Morgan Moses, center Garrett Bradbury and rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell during a noteworthy offseason. 

“We have a new coach in Mike Vrabel who is really connected with the players, who’s doing great work,” Kraft added during his comments. “We have a young quarterback and a lot of great veterans, free-agent veterans that came in, a great draft class. We’re going to have fun this year, I promise.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 2025 Patriots at +130 betting odds to make the playoffs. Those who trust Kraft’s assessment may want to take a flier on such a wager before New England players report for training camp in July.