Robert Kraft knew the New England Patriots needed to make a change after the 2023 season.
The change was a significant one, as Bill Belichick parted ways with the organization he joined all the way back in 2000. Belichick coached the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships, but he also ran football operations for a good chunk of his tenure in New England.
With the benefit of hindsight, Kraft wishes he did a better job of managing Belichick’s slate of responsibilities.
“I feel like our record the last three to four years wasn’t what I wanted — and I had given him so much power,” Kraft said last week on “The Breakfast Club.” “He had full control over everything. Shame on me. I should have had some checks and balances better. But he had earned that right. 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.”
Kraft split up Belichick’s previous roles after cutting ties with the future Pro Football Hall of Famer, promoting Jerod Mayo to head coach and bumping Eliot Wolf up to the top of the front office totem pole. Kraft seemingly opened the new regime with a level of patience, but the new-look Patriots are performing even worse than expected.
Time will tell how long Kraft tolerates losing this time around.