Decades Before Tom Brady, Boston’s Passionate Plea Saved the Patriots From Moving Towns That Seeded the Epic Dynasty

The New England Patriots were led to NFL glory during the era of QB Tom Brady. Drafted as a sixth-round pick in 2000, Brady led the team to six Super Bowl victories in his time with the franchise. But decades before the arrival of Brady, the team was not the best franchise in the league. They had five consecutive losing seasons between 1989 to 1993. There were talks of the team relocating to St. Louis from Foxborough. But then came a savior 25 years ago. A savior in the form of an entrepreneur who turned the fortunes of the franchise into what we know them as today.

Robert Kraft, who now acts as the CEO of the Patriots, bought the franchise back in 1994 to stop them from moving towns. But the journey to convert it into a stable NFL team was not as easy as it sounds.

 When New England Patriots had a turbulent time

An article by Jeff Howe for The Athletic notes down the journey of Robert Kraft and his acquisition of the once-crumbling, probably the worst team in the NFL back then. Before Kraft, the Sullivan family acted as the owners of the franchise since their inception in 1960. But the New England Patriots were not on the top of their game during those initial years in the league. They were considered as the weakest link in the NFL. 

The Sullivan family then faced bankruptcy, and as a result, they sold the franchise to Victor Kiam for $83 million in 1988. But four years down the line, Kiam had a debt to repay to James Orthwein. When Orthwein brought the franchise, he had this grand idea of moving the franchise to St. Louis.

But with things not working out in his favor as well, the franchise was put up for sale once again. That was when Robert Kraft felt it was now his turn to change the tide for the team.

Robert Kraft’s journey as the savior of the Patriots

Kraft was asked to submit a bid for acquiring the franchise by Jan 10, 1994. But the Orthwein’s group made a move to change the rules and made Jan 1 the deadline. This meant that Kraft had even lesser time to make a bid. He and his team worked overnight to come up with a $158 million bid for the franchise. This was also when the Patriots ended their 1993 season with a win against the Dolphins on Jan 2. Fans were under the view that it was the last game played by the Patriots at Foxboro Stadium. But Kraft was not ready to disappoint the fanbase in Boston.

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On January 21, 1994, the deal materialized, and Robert Kraft paid $172 million to become the owner of the franchise. 25 years have passed since those events. 6 Super Bowl championships and 11 AFC Championships after, it is safe to say those investments paid off. Kraft, Belichick, and Brady went on to form the most formidable trio of all time in the league and establishing a rich history for the franchise to look back at.

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