New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has struggled since Tom Brady departed after the 2019 season.
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Kraft has “become frustrated, even outright angry” over the team’s lack of success in recent years.
The frustration doesn’t appear to be limited to Kraft. Howe noted that the Patriots’ defense is “getting more and more frustrated” and that their offense currently ranks dead last in the NFL, averaging 11.0 points per game through five weeks.
The Patriots are off to their worst start since Bill Belichick took over as head coach. They lost four of their first five games and were tied with the Denver Broncos for the worst record in the AFC.
New England’s 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 was the worst loss by point differential in the Belichick era. That was followed by a 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Quarterback Mac Jones, the team’s 2021 first-round draft pick, was benched in the second half of both losses. Since throwing for 316 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he has totaled 692 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions over the past four games.
The Patriots have yet to score more than 20 points in a game this season. Dating back to last season, they haven’t scored more than 23 points in a game since losing to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.
Since Brady left after the 2019 season, the Patriots are 26-29 and have made just one playoff appearance. Their 76-point deficit this season is the second-worst in the NFL (the New York Giants are minus-91).
Some believe Belichick is still coaching because he wants to surpass Don Shula’s all-time wins record. The 70-year-old has 330 wins in the regular season and playoffs, 17 fewer than Shula’s 347 wins.
If things go well in New England, Belichick could surpass that total at some point during the 2024 season.
Conversely, if things continue to spiral like they did last season when they lost eight of 11 games since Week 12, Belichick may not be sure to make the cut with the Patriots next year.