Another Patriots Legend Won’t Make the Hall of Fame This Year
The New England Patriots have the chance to become the most decorated franchise in NFL history on Sunday when they take on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. With a win, New England would officially take the crown with a record seventh Super Bowl championship.
Team owner Robert Kraft has been a vital figure in the Patriots' rise to prominence over the last few decades, taking a perennial bottom-feeder and turning them into one of the league's premier franchises.
Kraft has owned the team for each of its six previous Super Bowl victories and potentially its seventh, but it is reportedly still not enough to earn induction as a Hall of Famer.
Kraft Not Selected After Belichick Misses Out
According to ESPN, Kraft will not be selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year as he did not earn enough votes for induction. Kraft has been left out just days after ESPN also reported that former Patriots coach Bill Belichick would not be inducted in his first year of eligibility.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft, like his former head coach Bill Belichick, was not selected for entry into this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class, sources told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2026
The Class of 2026 will be revealed Thursday at NFL Honors in San Francisco, but it will not include Kraft. pic.twitter.com/W0YBwnxsq8
The decision on Belichick was met with disbelief and confusion from much of the sports world, wondering how a coach with eight cumulative Super Bowl championships was not worthy of the Hall of Fame. LeBron James, JJ Watt and even Tom Brady weighed in on the matter, saying that they felt Belichick was a deserving candidate.
Kraft even spoke up on Belichick's behalf, despite their frosty relationship in recent years and Belichick's departure from the organization. When asked about his former head coach, Kraft said that Belichick "is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer."
"Whatever perceptions may exist about any personal differences between Bill and me, I strongly believe Bill Belichick's record and body of work speak for themselves," Kraft said last week.
"As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of the National Football League."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell echoed many of Kraft's sentiments regarding Belichick, and also said that he believes both he and Kraft will eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Robert Kraft's Path to the Hall of Fame
Kraft has been eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame for the last 14 years, and was first nominated for the honor back in 2013. This is the first year that he has advanced to the stage of becoming a finalist for induction, but he will have to wait to join the small group of owners in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys), Pat Bowlen (Denver Broncos), Dan Rooney (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Al Davis (Raiders) are among them. None have been as successful as Kraft in as short of a time period, as he helped turn the Patriots into the dynasty of the 2000s and 2010s.
The AFC Champion New England Patriots ????
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 3, 2026
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On the field, the Patriots will look to establish a new legacy after the departures of Belichick and Brady with their first Super Bowl win without the iconic pair. They'll get the opportunity on Sunday evening when they face the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.