Robert Kraft makes Patriots future ownership clear
By John Buhler
Robert Kraft made it abundantly clear that the New England Patriots will remain in the family.
The New England Patriots are the most important thing to Robert Kraft outside of his family.
Kraft is synonymous with the NFL franchise he has owned for three decades. Prior to him buying the team, the Patriots were one of the worst-run organizations in the league. They had a Super Bowl run in 1985, but were completely irrelevant in the AFC. The Patriots were so bad that they nearly became the St. Louis Stallions. It is why Kraft deserves a statue outside One Patriot Place.
Of course, he fully anticipates to keep team ownership in the family whenever that day arises.
Robert Kraft asked if he's ever considered selling the team: "No. After my family, the New England Patriots is the most important thing in my life. It's not a business, it's a part of my family...I'm never selling. We've set it up so it stays in the family for many decades."
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) February 10, 2023
Robert Kraft plans to keep New England Patriots ownership within the family
While second and third-generation NFL owners rarely live up to the lofty legacy of their patriarchs, it makes all the sense in the world for Kraft to want to keep the franchise he has owned for three decades in the family. Under his ownership, the Patriots have gone from a doormat of a franchise to one of the pillars of the league. With six Super Bowl wins this century, why ever give that up?
Although the Patriots are never going to have a dynastic run like the one they had with Bill Belichick as head coach and Tom Brady as quarterback, well, because no one will, the value of this franchise is only going to go up. The Denver Broncos had a mess on their hands with the Bowlen trust. This allowed the Walton-Penner Family to buy them with all of that sweet Walmart money.
Surely, a championship-caliber franchise in a huge media market would command top-dollar. The Patriots would not go for as much as say the Dallas Cowboys, but a primary stake in New England ownership would probably eclipse what The Waltons paid for the Broncos. Frankly, it will be up to the second generation of Krafts will want to do with the Patriots. For now, never sell this team.
What would the starting price be to buy the Patriots at this stage of the game, 8-to-10 million?
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