Patriots
“We’re going to have fun this year, I promise.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft didn’t shy away from voicing his displeasure with the team’s performance over the last two seasons, and he remains equally adamant about improvement in 2025.
Speaking as a guest on ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter’s eponymously titled podcast, the 84-year-old Kraft was blunt in characterizing his feelings about 4-13 seasons in 2023 and 2024.
“Any Patriot fans out there, I can tell you I’m very excited about this upcoming season. The last two years were the worst years of my 31 years of ownership,” said Kraft. “We have to change that.”
Looking ahead, Kraft latched onto the major development for New England in the past few months: Firing Jerod Mayo after one season and hiring former New England linebacker (and ex-Titans coach) Mike Vrabel to lead the team. He also cited the team’s offseason moves, and its draft class.
“We have a new coach in Mike Vrabel who is really connected with the players, who’s doing great work,” Kraft explained. “We have a young quarterback and a lot of great free agent veterans who came in, a great draft class.”
In all, Kraft sees a more enjoyable experience for fans who had grown accustomed to success in the first two decades of the 21st century.
“We’re going to have fun this year, I promise.”
The Patriots were bought by Kraft in 1994 for a then-record sum for an NFL team: $172 million, a move he made despite the team’s years-long struggle in the lead-up to the sale.
Kraft referenced the older-era Patriots in his conversation with Schefter.
“There was only one home playoff game in 34 years,” Kraft recalled of the time before his ownership. “I sat in the stands in [1978]. Earl Campbell ran for over 100 yards and we lost. One home playoff game. We’ve owned the team [for] 31 years. We’ve had 27 home playoff games, and we’re privileged to win 23. I want that record to keep going.”
In 2025, the Patriots are valued at $7.4 billion, according to Forbes, largely attributable to the fact that New England has won six Super Bowls during Kraft’s time as owner.
The Patriots formally get the ball rolling on the 2025 season when training begins on July 23.
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