Robert Kraft’s patience with Bill Belichick in the post-Tom Brady era is running thin.
And what was once believed to be an unthinkable act by the Patriots owner could perhaps become a realistic option.
Following the worst loss in the Belichick era in Week 4 against the Cowboys and the worst shutout loss in franchise history at home in Week 5 against the mediocre Saints, Kraft has “grown frustrated, if not downright angry” with the state of the franchise, per The Athletic.
The report states Kraft does not believe in allowing Belichick to dictate when he’s finished as head coach, which means the situation could come to a head if Belichick is unable to right the ship with the 1-4 Patriots.
“There’s a school of thought that suggests Bill Belichick has earned the right to go out on his own accord, that the architect of the greatest dynasty in NFL history can coach in New England as long as he chooses,” wrote Jeff Howe. “Kraft doesn’t subscribe to it.”
It’s no secret that these Patriots are a far cry from the dynasty Patriots of past years, and the 71-year-old Belichick has not evolved since losing the greatest player in NFL history.
The Patriots are 26-29 in the three-plus years since Brady departed for Tampa Bay and guided the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory.
New England, meanwhile, has played in just one postseason game and that was a 47-17 thrashing by the Bills that the franchise would sooner forget.
“On multiple occasions in recent years, he has lamented the team’s lack of a postseason victory in the post-Brady era,” Howe wrote of Kraft.
This year’s Patriots are an offensive mess, averaging an NFL-worst 11 points per game. Yes, that’s somehow worse than the unable-to-block Giants.
Mac Jones has regressed since a solid first season, and Belichick did him no favors with the Matt Patricia-Joe Judge duo leading the offense last year.
The Patriots have perhaps the worst group of playmakers in the NFL, including free-agent flop JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The defense is still solid, which is causing some internal strife.
“The defense, according to sources, has grown increasingly frustrated with the offense,” Howe wrote.
The overarching factor in any Belichick decision is he is chasing Don Shula’s record for the most coaching wins in NFL history.
Belichick will need more than one season – and perhaps many more at this rate – to catch Shula, but Kraft doesn’t seem to have the patience for losing.
The Patriots will try to save their season Sunday in Las Vegas, ironically against former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and one-time heir apparent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
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