It is hardly a secret that Robert Kraft wanted to re-sign Tom Brady two years ago, and the New England Patriots owner has apparently made little effort to keep that to himself.
LeSean McCoy, who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, shared a funny story on the “I Am Athlete” podcast this week about an exchange he had with Kraft. McCoy says he bumped into Kraft at a party last offseason and couldn’t resist asking the 80-year-old how the Patriots let Brady walk. Kraft made it clear it wasn’t his choice.
McCoy says Kraft told him he was “mad” that Bill Belichick chose not to re-sign Brady. Kraft also said, according to McCoy, that he told Belichick he better win a Super Bowl now without Brady. You can hear the story about halfway through the clip below:
Another story from LeSean McCoy.
He was at a party with #Patriots owner Robert Kraft and actually asked him how come he let @TomBrady leave in 2020.
Kraft's response: "I'm mad he left, I told Bill…" https://t.co/tJLPMUJiAR
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 12, 2022
Kraft has said he views Brady like a son. He has also indicated that it was Brady’s choice to leave New England, but there is obviously a lot more to that story. Brady likely would have preferred to stay with the Pats, but Belichick wasn’t willing to give him everything he wanted, whether it be contractually or with constructing the team.
It had to have stung both Kraft and Belichick that Brady left the Patriots and immediately won a Super Bowl. Belichick is a Hall of Famer no matter how you cut it, but it would certainly help his legacy if he can win another ring in the post-Brady era.
Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
