It might still be too soon to call what is transpiring in New England a cold war, but the Robert Kraft–Bill Belichick relationship has certainly seen better days.
The owner appeared to fire another salvo at the historically successful head coach recently. Belichick defended the Patriots’ unexpected 2021 spending spree by pointing out how the team’s commitments from 2020-22 ranked 27th on average. The Pats’ 2021 splurge remains an outlier for the generally conservative franchise.
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“Our spending in 2020, our spending in 2021, and our spending in 2022 — the aggregate of that — was we were 27th in the league in cash spending,” Belichick said in January. “Couple years we’re low, one year was high, but over a three-year period, we are one of the lowest-spending teams in the league.”
This comment came after a question regarding the 2021 free agency period — and not necessarily a dig at Kraft stinginess — but when asked about a willingness to spend money, Kraft shot back to continue what has been a somewhat icy stretch between the two Patriot bigwigs.
“He has never come to me and not gotten everything he wanted from a cash-spending perspective. We have never set limits,'” Kraft said of Belichick during an interview with the Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard (h/t to the Boston Herald). “Money spending will never be the issue, I promise you, or I’ll sell the team.”
This would qualify as less newsworthy in a normal Patriots offseason. But this one also featured Kraft putting his six-time Super Bowl champion coach on shakier ground with March comments that gave off a win-or-else vibe. Last week, Kraft also said he would only consider this season a success if the franchise claims its seventh Super Bowl title. With the Patriots a mid-pack AFC team not mentioned with the conference’s elites, they will face long odds to accomplish that. Kraft and Belichick also have not seen eye to eye regarding last year’s Matt Patricia role and the treatment of Mac Jones, the latter seeming to have more support from the owner than the head coach.
Excepting the 2021 offseason, the 2017 Stephon Gilmore contract and select other instances, Belichick has not been known for big-ticket outside expenditures. The Pats did add JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason but did so for the same fully guaranteed amount the Raiders gave outgoing Patriot Jakobi Meyers ($16MM). The team made an offer to Hopkins, who appears content to wait for his market to change.
Kraft pulling the plug on the Belichick era would be among the most controversial decisions in NFL history. The 24th-year Patriots HC sits second all time in wins (329), having passed George Halas last year. Belichick trails all-time leader Don Shula by 18 wins, putting him in position to potentially pass the Hall of Famer in 2024. Kraft firing Belichick, 71, under any circumstances would qualify as surprising, even considering the team’s below-.500 finishes in 2020 and 2022. But canning the future Hall of Famer as he is on the doorstep of a hallowed record would bring a bizarre conclusion to one of the most storied runs in NFL history.
Must have cut back on his massage parlor visits.
Like you’ve never paid for a happy ending.
We’ve all paid for happy endings just not as directly as Kraft did.
What is a relationship if not long term government whitelisted payment for sex after all?
Also Bill B in 2020: Bill Belichick: ‘We sold out and won three Super Bowls,’ New England Patriots salary cap reflects that’
Which is it Bill, over or under spending? Can’t have both.
As NFL positional salaries rise, I think BB has a hard time justifying paying a player a salary anything close to what he gets from the Pats.
That said, the thing that could force BB to retire is either having to pay Mac Jones more that he’s making or another year of missing the playoffs and being forced to do HBO’s Hard Knocks.
I think what’s going to make him retire is being constantly called about for being a sub 500 HC w/o Tom. He’ll certainly be 1st ballot; but if you look at his resume w/o Tom, its not impressive.
I never have thought Kraft was a cheapskate and it has never been mentioned by Bill until now, 20+ years later? Bill is just making excuses for himself in my opinion.
Do you really think a coach who is just 31 wins away from surpassing Shula feels he has to make excuses? I’m afraid you’ll have to tolerate BB a bit longer arty!
I look forward to all the pro Bill people having to defend him for yet another average/below average season! It’s coming, that’s for sure.
The guy has won 8 championship titles and his body of work is unassailable. He doesn’t require any defending.
Pats have always spent way over the cap. It’s just that most of it was under the table.
No player in a strong bargaining position has ever signed a “team-friendly” deal. Brady was no exception, as he got HIS pay-back through sweetheart real estate deals orchestrated by Kraft. The NFL chose to look the other way…
“Money spending will never be issue…”
Grammar, though, could be.
Time for Bill to retire.
As the saying goes, they’ll fire you for losing before they fire you for cheating.
Pats went 10-7 2 years ago, then made the ridiculous mistake of putting the worst possible options as OC’s last season. New OC Bill O’Brien can turn this offense around.
The team mascot, a stadium usher or the guy hawking beer and peanuts could probably run an offense better than Patricia did, so yes, the offense in New England will be much better this season.
If money isn’t the problem y didn’t they resign Brady or keep Jimmy g this is just more bs from the pats organization BB blames Kraft and Kraft blames Bill it’s beyond time to move on from BB this team blows because he refuses to build a offensive instead all the “money” goes to ST (that’s not needed anymore) and D
MCase you sir are correct. RKK has ALWAYS called Brady his 6th some yet he lets his “son” walk away from the team. Smh, it’s always about the money. Talk talk talk, RKK will not write that big bonus check.