What now, Bob Kraft?
Kraft has owned the Patriots for 30 full and fruitful years, but has never faced a decision like this one.
Feuding with Bill Parcells and firing Pete Carroll was easy. Deciding to break promises to poor Hartford was easy. Heck, even accepting Roger Goodell’s Deflategate sanctions — after demanding an apology from the NFL — even that was easy compared to this.
What is Kraft going to do about the future of Bill Belichick, the franchise coach who has won six Super Bowls for New England? I mean, how does Kraft fire Belichick, then someday invite him back for a statue dedication?
The Patriots lost to the Bills, 27-21, Sunday, dropping to 4-12 and moving up to No. 3 in the 2024 draft. They will finish their season at home against the Jets Sunday and it’s in their interest to lose and hope to hold a top-two pick, which would put them in position to select a franchise quarterback: USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Belichick, Kraft’s head coach for 24 seasons, is 29-38 (including playoffs) since Tom Brady left and hasn’t won a playoff game in five years. After finishing 8-9 in 2022, Kraft apologized to fans and pledged that things would get better. Things have gotten worse.
Kraft does not want to fire Belichick. New England’s needy owner longs to be loved. He wants peace with honor. He’s 82 and desperately wants to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He didn’t like the way things ended with Brady and now he’s at a critical mass regarding one of the greatest coaches of all time.
There are reports that Kraft is talking to folks around the league, taking the temperature, looking for a way to improve his team without getting into a public brawl with a coach who’s taken the Patriots to nine Super Bowls.
After the 6-0 loss to the Chargers in early December, there seemed to be a simple solution: it was obvious Kraft would have to move on from his franchise coach.
But now decision day is near and it’s suddenly not so clear. In the last month, the Patriots beat Pittsburgh and Denver on the road and Sunday threw a scare into the Bills despite turning over the football four times in the first 18 minutes. Backup Bailey Zappe has won four of his seven career starts and lit some fire under his teammates. New England’s defense has been good all year. The team sustained a number of season-ending injuries, lost a lot of one-score games, and suddenly there’s a wild notion that maybe this wasn’t really that bad.
Tuning out nonstop media noise and reports that a decision has been made, Belichick has soldiered on in typical stoic fashion, saying the same things and coaching the same way he’s been coaching since the 1990s. He’s dismissed questions about his future with the ever-ready, “We’re on to [next opponent].’’
That’s how it’ll be this week. And we know it would kill Bill to lose to the Jets. Even if it would help him in the long run.
The Patriots’ 2024 draft position won’t mean anything to Belichick if he is not coaching the team next season, but he’s neither said nor done anything to indicate he’s leaving. This typist believes Jonathan Kraft would have fired Bill long ago, but only Bill, Jon and Bob really know what’s going on and evidently that’s not going to be clear for at least another week. Maybe (gulp) longer. Belichick is under contract for 2024 and the Pats will have to eat his whopping salary if they fire him. They possibly could trade him for draft capital, but that would require cooperation from the intransigent Belichick.
Does New England’s improved play over the last month tempt Kraft to bring back the band? Is it possible Kraft really hasn’t decided yet? Is he going to take a fan poll at Gillette Sunday and let the people choose?
Don’t ask Bob. He hasn’t said anything about his coach all season.
And don’t ask Bill.
He’s on to the Jets.
Read more about the Patriots’ loss to the Bills
- Bills 27, Patriots 21: Bailey Zappe throws 3 INTs as New England falls to 4-12
- Bill Belichick avoids a question about his future, again, but he can’t dodge it for much longer
- Patriots kicker Chad Ryland is off the mark again, and he ackowledges his misses after loss to Bills
- Instant analysis: In loss to Bills, Patriots prove they’re still fighting for Bill Belichick
- ‘You can’t do that:’ What Patriots center David Andrews had to say after loss to Bills
- ‘Trust me, I’ll get better:’ What Patriots QB Bailey Zappe said after throwing three picks in loss to Bills
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com. Follow him @dan_shaughnessy.