Bill Belichick has seldom responded publicly to remarks made by Patriots owner Robert Kraft since their split 18 months ago, following an impressive 24-year run in the NFL with the New England team.
Recently, after Kraft mentioned that he took a “big risk” by hiring Belichick in 1999, Belichick replied in a statement to ESPN, saying it was he who actually took a “big risk” by joining a struggling franchise that was $10 million over the salary cap and lacked resources.
“I told Robert many times over the years that I took a big risk when I accepted the head coaching position with the New England Patriots,” Belichick said to ESPN when asked about the situation. “I had already been offered the chance to be the Head Coach of the New York Jets, but their ownership situation was uncertain.”
Belichick mentioned that many people encouraged him to turn down Kraft’s offer and stay with the Jets, who had just hired him, even though things were unstable there.
“I was warned by several former Patriots coaches and other NFL staff members, as well as the media, that taking the job in New England would come with many challenges,” Belichick stated. “I made it clear that we needed to change how the team was run to bring back the success we once had.”
When asked about his best decision in three decades as owner of the Patriots during a recent event, Kraft quickly pointed out his choice to hire Belichick in 1999—and the “big risk” he took by doing so.
“The one that faced the most criticism was in 1999,” Kraft said on the “Dudes on Dudes” podcast co-hosted by Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski last month at Fanatics Fest.
“I traded a first-round draft pick for a coach who had only won just over 40% of his games to get him away from the Jets,” Kraft explained. “I’m not sure if any Jets fans are here, but bringing Bill Belichick to the Patriots in 1999 was a huge gamble, and I took a lot of heat for it in Boston. But he stayed with us for 24 years.”
“And we did pretty well,” Kraft added with a chuckle.
A certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, Belichick achieved a record of 266-121 with the Patriots, won 17 AFC East titles, made 13 appearances in the AFC Championship Game, and earned an unmatched six Super Bowl titles.
Belichick chose not to reveal the names of the former coaches who advised him to avoid New England. One likely candidate is Bill Parcells, Belichick’s mentor and former boss, who criticized Kraft for having too much influence over player decisions after leaving the Patriots in 1996.
Belichick also did not explain the “many internal obstacles” he encountered when he first started working with Kraft. One challenge was that the 2000 Patriots team was $10 million over the salary cap. For the Patriots, exceeding this cap was unusual; they ranked 31st out of 32 teams in spending since the NFL introduced the salary cap in 1994. Belichick managed to tackle this challenge as a coach by carefully managing the roster.
In his first season with New England, Belichick let go of several high-paid players he had inherited, such as offensive tackle Bruce Armstrong, guard Todd Rucci, defensive tackle Henry Thomas, and tight end Ben Coates. That year, the Patriots ended up with a record of 5-11. However, during his second season in 2001, Belichick made a bold move by replacing Drew Bledsoe with Tom Brady, leading the Patriots to their first Super Bowl victory.
“I appreciated Robert giving me the chance to make those changes and create a program that matched my vision for a championship team,” Belichick told ESPN.
When ESPN asked why he thought Kraft described hiring him as “a big risk,” Belichick replied, “You’ll have to ask Robert.”
Patriots spokesman Stacey James did not answer questions from ESPN and mentioned that Kraft could not be reached for comment.
Belichick has kept mostly quiet while Kraft works hard to enhance his reputation as the team owner. At 84 years old, Kraft is in the 14th year of a push by his supporters to get him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
When discussing why hiring Belichick was seen as “a big risk,” Kraft pointed out that during his time as the coach for the Cleveland Browns, Belichick won just over 40% of his games. (Belichick’s record in Cleveland from 1991 to 1995 was 36 wins and 44 losses, giving him a .450 winning percentage.)
Kraft did not mention Belichick’s impressive success as one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history, starting with the New York Giants where he helped win two Super Bowls under Parcells. After leaving Cleveland, Belichick joined Parcells again in New England in 1996, leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers. From 1997 to 1999, he served as defensive coordinator for Parcells on a Jets team that reached the AFC Championship Game in 1998 but fell short against the Denver Broncos.
“The Jets were a strong team after three years of rebuilding with Bill Parcells, including an AFC Championship Game appearance in January 1999,” Belichick told ESPN. “On the other hand, the Patriots had broken apart their AFC Championship team from 1996 and became one of the worst teams in the AFC. They were also $10 million over budget when I started as Head Coach in 2000.”
This fall, Belichick will start his first season as a college coach at North Carolina and is eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the first time this winter.
In the spring, Kraft revealed that Parcells would be honored with induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame as a contributor. Last year, Brady was also inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Belichick, who is 73 years old, has not yet become a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame.
