The Patriots accomplished unprecedented success over the last two decades, led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, have accomplished unprecedented success over the last two decades. Therefore, the team was assumed to properly prepare for life after their departures to maintain as much of that winning as possible.
Although Brady's exit was far more unexpected and happened four years earlier than Belichick's, the organization did not put the right pieces in place to remain afloat and be competitive in their absence, leading to their most embarrassing five years since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994.
Their lack of urgency to assemble a roster and coaching staff led to years of double-digit losses, multiple quarterback and head coaching changes, and players deciding that the Patriots were no longer a desirable team to play for. Because of that, Kraft has caught the brunt of the blame, and in most ways it's well deserved. Not only because he owns the team, but also because of comments he has made over the years that have come back to haunt him in the years since.
While he likely meant well and was trying to be optimistic, it hasn't been a good look for Kraft, especially in his bid to make the NFL Hall of Fame. And unfortunately, he might have just made more comments that won't age well.
Robert Kraft's recent comments about the Patriots current rebuild status might end up being regrettable
The Patriots continue to be one of the more intriguing teams over the last few years as they have undergone various roster and personnel changes. They've become even more of a focus now, with Mike Vrabel as the next head coach and Drake Maye looking like their next franchise quarterback.
They also appear to have put together an impressive staff that will put the team back on the right track to be competitive, despite the long road ahead of them in their years-long rebuild process. But Kraft believes they're a bit further ahead than the assumption that they're starting from scratch again this offseason.
“I’ll get chastised for saying it, but I think we’re ahead of that. I think we have some real talent in the locker room. I think we’re privileged now to have a head coach [in Vrabel] that has learning curve experience and has really come in and created a great atmosphere. I remember him as a player and his competitive attitude.
He has grown as an individual in terms of having that edge but also being able to build a sense of team and cooperation. It’s unusual when every part of the building feels that he’s someone that they can relate to and he’s cooperating and he’s putting team-first. It’s really created a great sense of camaraderie.”
He's far from wrong, since Vrabel has experience as a head coach (which was one of the biggest issues with Jerod Mayo last year), and it looks like Maye will be the quarterback for a long time. That's much better than where the Patriots were in 2020, for instance.
However, we've heard this kind of confidence from Kraft a few times over the past five years, and it's almost always come back to bite him. The hope is that the franchise is in the best position it has been since Brady left in 2020, and now Kraft's words can be considered a bit more accurate than before.
Only time will tell, but it seems fair to believe that with Vrabel on board, Josh McDaniels returning to the sideline, and Maye running the offense, there is a lot more to look forward to from the Patriots than in recent years. Some suggest they could even potentially compete for the playoffs in 2025. That might be a bit presumptuous, but they seem to have the best tools available to accomplish that now compared to just one year ago.