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Bill Belichick fires back at Robert Kraft's version of events and shows how he really viewed their long-time partnership on the Patriots

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Wendell Ferreira | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 11:09 AM ET

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former head coach Bill Belichick worked together for 24 years. It wasn't always a smooth relationship, though, despite the undeniable success on the field. And Belichick's perception of how it all went down clearly differs from Kraft's.

After the owner said the team took a big risk by hiring Belichick back in 2000, the coach had to address it and make his own vision clear. Now at North Carolina, Belichick told ESPN via a statement that he actually took a big risk by leaving the New York Jets job to take over in New England.

"As I told Robert multiple times through the years, I took a big risk by taking the New England Patriots head coaching job," Belichick told ESPN. "I already had an opportunity to be the head coach of the New York Jets, but the ownership situation was unstable."

Kraft bought the Patriots in 1994, when the coach was still Bill Parcells. At that point, Belichick was the old Cleveland Browns head coach. After being fired in Cleveland, the coach took a job on the Patriots as the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach. Parcells left the Patriots for disagreements with Kraft, and Belichick followed him to the New York Jets in 1997 as the assistant HC and defensive coordinator. Pete Carroll spent three years with the Patriots and got fired as well, prompting Kraft to hire Belichick away from the Jets. For Belichick, that wasn't an easy decision.

"I had been warned by multiple previous Patriots' coaches, as well as other members of other NFL organizations and the media, that the New England job was going to come with many internal obstacles," Belichick added. "I made it clear that we would have to change the way the team was managed to regain the previously attained success."

Belichick won six Super Bowls as a head coach before parting ways with the franchise two offseasons ago. After a year away from football, he took a college head coaching job at North Carolina. Meanwhile, Belichick's successor Jerod Mayo was a one-and-done with the Patriots, and this offseason the team replaced him with former Tennessee Titans head coach (and former Patriots player) Mike Vrabel.

Belichick added, though, that he was able to make the necessary changes in the leadership structure.

"I appreciated Robert giving me the opportunity to make those changes and build a program that was consistent with my vision for a championship team," he added.

Kraft's point of view

Robert Kraft went on Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski's podcast "Dudes on Dudes." There, the owner said he took a risk by trading draft picks for Belichick at that point.

"I gave up a No. 1 draft pick for a coach that had only won a little over 40% of his games to get him out," Kraft stressed. "I don't know if there are any Jets fans here. I think getting Bill Belichick to come to the Patriots in 1999 was a big risk, and I got hammered in the Boston area, but he was with us for 24 years. And we did okay."

Belichick had a clause in his contract with the Jets where he would automatically become the head coach to replace Bill Parcells. After one day on the job, though, he resigned. New England hired Belichick right after, and the NFL had to step in to establish a settlement between the divisional rivals. The Patriots sent the Jets a first-round pick as compensation.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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