Pats Pulpit
The two men celebrated six championships together, but appear to be at odds at the moment.
No partnership owner-head coach partnership in NFL history has been as successful as the 25-year collaboration between Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick. Starting with their first championship to cap off an improbable 2001 season, they helped build the New England Patriots into the first dynasty of pro football’s salary cap era.
Nowadays, however, the two men appear to be at odds. With Kraft still in charge in Foxborough and Belichick now coaching at North Carolina, the once-mighty pair seemingly is taking shots at one another on the regular.
What happened? Let’s explain what has become a fascinating feud between two of the most successful men at their respective professions the NFL has ever seen.
Robert Kraft: A former season-ticket holder and longtime fan, Kraft first bought the land around Foxboro Stadium and later the arena itself. His strategic move allowed him to finally take control of the franchise itself: in 1994, he acquired the moribund franchise for a then-record sum of $172 million. As of 2024, the Patriots — now a six-time champion and one of the marquee franchises in the sport — were estimated to be worth around $7.4 billion.
Bill Belichick: A veteran NFL coach who rose to prominence as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, Belichick had a brief stint in New England under Bill Parcells in 1996. Four years later, having surprisingly stepped down as head coach of the New York Jets on his first day, he returned to the Patriots via trade. Between 2000 and 2023, he led the team to six Super Bowl titles, 17 division crowns and an overall record of 266-121 (.687) in the regular season and 30-12 (.714) in the playoffs.
After winning three Super Bowls in four years in the early 2000s, Belichick effectively was given free reign to run the Patriots’ football operations. Kraft, meanwhile, was happy to own the most successful franchise in the league and see its value skyrocket. Even when the Patriots dynasty was alive and well, however, the two men reportedly butted heads at multiple occasions — including in the aftermath of 2007’s Spygate scandal (when a Belichick interpretation of an NFL memo led to severe fines for the organization).
The tipping point, however, appeared to come in the late 2010s. Belichick wanted to maintain his operational status quo even with longtime starting quarterback Tom Brady seemingly nearing the end of his career, leading to an impasse between the two: the Patriots were unwilling to commit to Brady long-term or at times adapt their ways to the future Hall of Famer, resulting in some behind-the-scenes friction.
This led to Brady leaving the Patriots as a free agent following the 2019 season (and promptly winning his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Kraft, meanwhile, stuck with his head coach and his vision for the team — a vision that seemed...
