New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft held court with the media at the annual NFL Owners’ Meeting, where he covered a wide array of topics, including the inside scoop on QB Tom Brady wanting to play six or seven more years.
Kraft also had a goal in mind for head coach Bill Belichick, and it would involve smashing NFL records.
As for Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft says he hopes his head coach is working into his 80s. "We gotta keep Bill healthy." pic.twitter.com/HfZkznpCer
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) March 27, 2017
“I hope [Belichick] coaches til his 80s,” Kraft shared. “I see Warren Buffet and Rupert Murdoch and they’re in their mid-80s and they’re performing at a pretty high level. So we gotta keep Bill healthy.”
Kraft uses the 86-year-old Buffett, President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and one of the wealthiest people on the planet, and the 86-year-old Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corp, as reference points for the Patriots head coach.
Belichick turns 65 on April 16th and is set to become the 15th head coach in NFL history to be the head coach for 100+ career games and head coach at age 65 and beyond.
(min 100 games as head coach; *=active)
1. George Halas, Marv Levy: 72 years old
3. Dick Vermeil, Tom Coughlin: 69 years old
5. Paul Brown, Ted Marchibroda, Joe Gibbs: 67 years old
8. Weeb Ewbank, Jim Mora, Wade Phillips, Pete Carroll*: 66 years old
12. Don Shula, Bobby Ross, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick*: 65 years old
If Belichick coaches through 2019, then he will tie Brown, Marchibroda, and Gibbs for the 5th oldest head coach in NFL history. This is a great milestone because Brown is the coach that Belichick looks up to the most and Marchibroda gave Belichick his first job in the NFL.
But Kraft is hoping that Belichick is still pulling the strings in the year 2031 and that he’ll coach eight years longer than the oldest head coaches in NFL history. I guess if Brady plans on playing longer than any other quarterback in NFL history, then Belichick has to step up and match on the coaching side.