Robert Kraft shares reason he did not try to trade Bill Belichick

Jan 20, 2019; Kansas City, MO, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft watches from the sidelines before the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Belichick is expected to draw interest from other teams now that he is no longer the head coach of the New England Patriots. That raises the question of why Robert Kraft did not try to trade the future Hall of Famer. The answer is not all that surprising.

Kraft told reporters on Thursday that he would not have felt right tying up Belichick’s future as part of a trade negotiation. He compared the situation to when the Patriots let Brady leave as a free agent in 2019.

Robert Kraft on why he didn't try to trade Bill Belichick: "I didn't think that was right. I didn't think it was right for Tom Brady, who gave us 20 years, and I didn't think it was right for Bill. They earned the right to be in a position to do what was best for them."

Says he…

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“I didn’t think that was right. I didn’t think it was right for Tom Brady, who gave us 20 years, and I didn’t think it was right for Bill,” Kraft said. “They earned the right to be in a position to do what was best for them.”

The Patriots would not have been able to trade Belichick unless the coach agreed to it. And if they did trade him, Belichick would have had to go to a team that had just given up an important asset — possibly even a first-round draft pick — to acquire him. While Kraft understands the business aspect of the NFL, the clean break is a much better look.

Of course, trying to trade Belichick would have also taken time. That could have set the Patriots back with their search for a new head coach. Another AFC team chose not to try to trade their head coach for that reason, so it would not be a surprise if that factored into Kraft’s decision as well.