NFL Rumors: Robert Kraft 'Felt Betrayed' by Bill Belichick, 'Not Worthy of His Trust'

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft "felt betrayed" by former head coach Bill Belichick before the team and coach parted ways in January, a source told ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler.

"[Kraft] found Bill to be extremely difficult and obstinate and kind of stubborn and, in the end, not worthy of his trust. And also very, very, very arrogant," the source said.

According to Van Natta, Wickersham and Fowler, multiple sources said Kraft had told Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank "not to trust Bill."

Patriots spokesman Stacey James denied the report and said Kraft "advocated for Bill to get the job" in Atlanta.

"I don't think they'd try to hurt Belichick," a source told ESPN. "But I don't think they'd try to help him either. They weren't going to try to sink him. He was finished as an effective head coach. Just look at his last four years in New England."

The Patriots marked losing records in three of their last four seasons under Belichick, including a 4-13 campaign in 2023 that marked one of the lowest win totals in franchise history.

ESPN's Mike Reiss previously reported in January that the 2020 departure of former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, whom Kraft "viewed like a son," strained the relationship between the owner and his coach.

Kraft "hoped Belichick and Brady would have come together over the course of the 2019 season and perhaps realize they were at their best together," and that Belichick could somehow convince Brady to stick around in New England, Reiss wrote.

Brady departed instead for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom he led to a Super Bowl during his first season away from the Patriots.

The exit of the Patriots' franchise quarterback, and the team's inability to find a true replacement for him in the four seasons since could have contributed to Kraft's sense of "betrayal," ESPN reported.

Belichick met with Blank in person for his second interview in just over a week in January. Three days later, the Falcons named former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris their next head coach.

For the first time since 1991, Belichick was left without a head coaching job, at least for now. According to Van Natta, Wickersham and Fowler, the former Patriots coach is "believed to be biding his time until next January" when he can seek out head coaching openings with teams including the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.