Bill Belichick Admits to Taking a Big Risk Joining the Patriots

After 24 long years with six Super Bowl titles from a record nine appearances in the big game, Bill Belichick parted ways with the New England Patriots in 2023. The exit from the team was famously led by the tensions swirling between the Nashville-native and the team’s owner, Robert Kraft.

In a recent appearance on the Dudes on Dudes podcast hosted by two former Patriots players, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, Robert Kraft reflected on his decision to bring on Belichick as the head coach. Kraft reiterated his longstanding claim that hiring Belichick in 1999 was a significant gamble.

He had described acquiring Belichick as “the one that got questioned the most” during his tenure as team owner, citing the decision to trade a first-round draft pick for a coach with a .450 win percentage.

However, Belichick’s track record wasn’t as bad as Kraft framed it to be. Before the Pats gig, he had won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants as the DC there and took the New York Jets to a conference game in 1998.

The coach has maintained a largely reserved stance on matters related to his exit from the Patriots or his feud with Kraft. The owner was also completely omitted from his recent book, The Art of Winning. However, Belichick has finally broken his silence.

In a statement to ESPN, the legendary head coach pushed back on Kraft’s longstanding claim while admitting that the actual risk was his decision to accept the job. He even blew more facts to the backstory.

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

Bill Belichick told ESPN

At the time of Belichick’s hiring, the Patriots were struggling both on and off the field. The team was $10 million over the salary cap heading into the 2000 season. The situation was a rare financial burden for a franchise that has historically ranked near the bottom of the league in spending since the cap was introduced in 1994.