Since Tom Brady left the Patriots during the 2020 offseason, we've heard much more from Robert Kraft about the franchise's current standing and hopeful future. He expressed his anguish over the quarterback leaving, sharing the same sentiment about Bill Belichick's departure, and he has consistently been remorseful over the disastrous 2024 season that seemed to set the team back.
That has been far from what we've heard from him over the past year since he decided to hire Mike Vrabel, and since they reached the Super Bowl in 2025, it is understandable that the team owner would be optimistic about the future.
In fact, he has new standards for the team, telling reporters this week that he believes they can reach the playoffs every year.
“My objective every year is we make the playoffs. And as we saw last year, when you’re privileged to make the playoffs, anything can happen.”
While that is a big goal to have after their first successful season in five years, it doesn't feel outlandish given just how much they accomplished in Vrabel's first season. So holding them to that standard should be what we hear from Kraft.
But Vrabel has taken it a step further, and it's clear that the head coach and owner are not on the same page for the upcoming season. It might not be a bad thing, though.
Robert Kraft and Mike Vrabel appear to have different goals in mind for the Patriots' 2026 season
When it was his turn to speak to reporters at the Annual Owner's Meeting earlier this week, Vrabel was asked about Kraft's comments. While he agreed with him, he also raised the bar, stating that championships are the main goal for the Patriots, not just making the playoffs.
That is what he's said since the day he was introduced as the new head coach, so it's good to hear he's keeping that up into Year 2.
“Championships will remain the goal. That will never change. We want to win the division, we want to host playoff games, and we want to compete for championships. We got a taste of that, we saw what that looked like, we saw the environment that it created to be able to play those playoff games at home, which was unbelievable and so much fun.”
Kraft's goal is the safe bet and is probably the more attainable one for the Patriots to focus on, while Vrabel is taking their recent success, and even before that, and setting the goal higher, just as it was when he was a player on the Patriots.
Clearly, that mindset has worked and is a big reason for their unexpected run to the Super Bowl last season, and there's no reason for Vrabel or the coaching staff to change what they were doing.
Not only did the players buy in, but so did the fans, and the excitement around New England felt much like the dynasty years. That inevitably boosts team morale during games, and that is expected to continue no matter what they achieve this fall.