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Robert Kraft reportedly ‘went out on a limb’ to ensure Bill Belichick didn’t get Commanders HC role after ugly Patriots exit

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Sumedh Joshi | Last updated 4/21/24

The relationship between Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft can be represented by an orange. Initially, what started off as a bond filled with mutual respect and admiration and a lot of sweet memories of winning multiple Super Bowls ended up turning sour real quick. Despite Belichick’s decision to leave the Patriots, Kraft is not content. He reportedly made sure that his former HC is unable to secure a job with any other NFL team.

A few days ago, reports of Robert Kraft reaching out to Falcons owner Arthur Smith surfaced. Kraft had reached out to warn Smith about the dangers of hiring Bill Belichick and urged him to not appoint him as the next head coach of his team. Shortly after, Raheem Morris was appointed as the HC of the Falcons.

Turns out Robert Kraft reached out to the Washington Commanders as well. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham went on the Weekend Show Podcast where he revealed that the Patriots owner sabotaged Belichick’s odds of getting hired by the Commanders.

We report the Josh Harris told people in mid-December that there was no way he was hiring Belichick. He too spoke to Robert Kraft. I think there was no question that Bill was really interested in that job, but it never materialized in any sort of official way. If you look at Josh Harris, his teams, they are GM centric, the head coach reports to the GM. Now, I don't think that Belichick wanted total control or total authority, but like I think that he would have wanted to report to an owner. Seth Wickersham said

It remains unclear if Bill Belichick was given the chance to speak with Harris to convince him about getting the job. The reason that owners are reluctant to hire Belichick is because they are not sure if he will be able to handle just being the HC and not dictating terms to the general manager. Robert Kraft appears to be capitalizing upon this and is going out on a limb to make sure Belichick remains out of a job.

Robert Kraft was unhappy with the way Bill Belichick handled Tom Brady’s departure

For three decades, Belichick remained the GM and the HC of the Patriots franchise. Kraft may have advised Josh Harris, the owner of the Commanders against hiring him by citing his desire for total autonomy. However, during his interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, Belichick revealed to owner Arthur Smith that he had no objection to reporting to the GM and was happy to work with Terry Fontenot.

Robert Kraft did not appreciate the manner in which Belichick treated Tom Brady towards the end of his tenure at the Patriots. In many ways, he blames him to be the reason for Brady wanting out.

After Brady left New England and went on to win a Super Bow next year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Robert Kraft was infuriated. This strained his relationship with Belichick. He now seems to have made it a point that Belichick remains out of a job.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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