Kraft talks O’Brien hire, Jones and possibly selling the Patriots
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he will never sell the franchise and intends to keep it in his family for decades to come during a Friday interview on FOX Business.
“After my family, the New England Patriots is the most important thing in my life. It’s not a business, it’s really part of my family. … I’m never selling it,” Kraft said. “We’ve set it up so it stays in the family for many decades.”
Kraft bought the team in 1994 and has since presided over 10 Super Bowl runs and six championships, while developing the Patriots into one of the most profitable franchises in professional sports. The 81-year-old is also the franchise’s CEO, and his son, Jonathan, serves as its president. Kraft is one of the NFL’s longest-tenured owners and its most powerful, with positions on key league committees.
Kraft also played a central role in negotiating the league’s last two Collective Bargaining Agreements and, more recently, multi-billion-dollar contracts with its TV broadcast partners. Last summer, he was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2023 in the Coach/ Contributor category. Kraft was passed over for the late Don Coryell, one of the most influential offensive coaches in league history.
He is expected to be a candidate again in future years.
After a disappointing 8-9 season, Kraft sat down for his annual end-of-season meeting last month with Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Days later, the team released an unprecedented statement announcing the search for a new offensive coordinator, a position Belichick did not fill in 2022 after losing Josh McDaniels. Instead, his lead offensive coaches, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, captained the Patriots’ worst offensive season since 1995.
Two weeks later, the Pats hired ex-offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to his old position in New England. Kraft praised the move on FOX Business, saying he made the decision with Belichick. O’Brien spent the last two seasons at the University of Alabama, after working as the head coach
of the Texans and at Penn State.
“I’m very happy that we were able to bring in a new offensive coordinator to help develop our young quarterback Mac Jones,” Kraft said. “Bringing in Bill O’Brien has been a big plus for our franchise.”
Kraft also spoke highly of Jones, who regressed statistically
last year in his second season. In his final press conference of the season, Belichick did not commit to Jones being the Patriots’ starting quarterback next year.
“We’re blessed to have a great young quarterback in Mac Jones,” Kraft said, “and I’m a strong believer in him and his development.”