Robert Kraft pledges unwavering commitment to Patriots' success amid concerns raised by Bill Belichick
Robert Kraft is one of the most succesful owners in NFL history, building a dynasty that included Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Their New England Patriots had the most successful run of any team ever. They won an incredible six Super Bowl rings in nine appearances spread across two decades of total dominance.
During the Tom Brady era, the Patriots advanced in the NFL Playoffs during just about every season. Since his departure for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and subsequent retirement, the Patriots have failed to win a single playoff game.
Bill Belichick claimed that the amount of money they decline to spend on players may be one of the reasons why. Robert Kraft disagrees.
Here's what Kraft had to say about Belichick's comments in an interview with Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal:
“He has never come to me and not gotten everything he wanted from a cash-spending perspective. We have never set limits ... Money spending will never be the issue, I promise you, or I’ll sell the team.”
Kraft was responding to this statement made by Belichick during his closing press conference for the 2022 NFL season:
“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. 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.”
Belichick's statement about their spending is factual as they clearly have statistically been one of the most conservative spenders over the past three years. While that's not debatable, it's fair to wonder why. It's unclear if a situation has come up where Bill Belichick wants to spend on a particular player, but has been rejected by Robert Kraft. The owner doesn't seem to think that has ever happened.
When did Robert Kraft buy the Patriots?
Robert Kraft purchased the New England Patriots during the 1994 NFL offseason. His decision to put in his bid of $172 million to buy the team was motivated by rumors that the Patriots were exploring relocation to a new city.
On this date 27 years ago, Robert Kraft purchased the New England Patriots.
The rest is history. https://t.co/ouJtzRGQ36
Kraft didn't want to see the team leave New England, especially because he already owned the Foxboro Stadium. Losing the NFL team would have significantly impacted the value of his stadium. He made the wise decision to purcase the team and keep it in the Boston area.