Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick might have been axed a lot sooner, if not for Jonathan Kraft.
A new report published on Wednesday, via ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Don Van Natta Jr. and Jeremy Fowler, indicated the younger Kraft convinced his father and Patriots owner Robert Kraft not to fire Belichick after the 2022 season.
New England struggled offensively and finished 8-9 that season. The unit could not piece things together under the direction of Matt Patricia, who had been given offensive play-calling duties. That made life difficult for quarterback Mac Jones and the rest of the offense. Patriots ownership put out a letter to fans following the season, indicating that things would be better in 2023.
The ESPN article read:
“A source close to Robert Kraft said he considered moving on from Belichick after the 2022 season, but Jonathan Kraft talked him out of it.”
It might have given the Patriots a better shot at rebuilding if Belichick was fired in 2023. New England has never had a full rebuild in the post-Tom Brady era, until now.
