Dear Robert Kraft: Patriots Diehards Share Message To Owner

FOXBORO, Mass. — Robert Kraft already made one move many New England Patriots fans were hoping for with the firing of Jerod Mayo.

But a contingent of Patriots season-ticket holders surely are hoping it won’t be the only seismic change this offseason. Their frustrations stretch beyond just the coaching staff, which is likely to look different in 2025.

NESN.com spoke to a handful of season-ticket holders at Gillette Stadium before New England’s impactful Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills, which cost the Patriots the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Patriots diehards, who have had season tickets for two or in some cases three decades, had a message for the team’s owner, who is known to write his own letter this time of year.

“Robert, get your (expletive) together,” said Saugus, Mass., native Paul Buckley, who’s had season tickets for 26 years. “You can quote me on that.”

Buckley, who was forced to sell one of his two sets of season tickets because he couldn’t even give them away in recent years, said he is “absolutely” among those who feel Patriots ownership doesn’t spend enough. Buckley referenced New England’s unused money in 2024, impending cap space in 2025 and reflected on how the franchise could pay players less during the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady years. Everyone wanted to play for Belichick and Brady, he said, but that’s not the case anymore.

“Open those purse strings up,” Buckley said.

Malden native John Marchese, who shares season tickets with Buckley, agreed. It’s not just about paying the executives and coaches, Marchese said, but also paying the paraprofessionals, scouting assistants and trainers.

“Look at everyone from the bottom up and start paying,” Marchese said.

Mike Araujo, of Pawtucket, R.I., doesn’t have as much of an issue with the spending of ownership. A season-ticket holder of 31 years, who’s closing in on his goal of 300 games attended, Araujo referenced the reports of how much Kraft paid Belichick during the second half of his tenure.

Instead, he has a simple message for ownership.

“He’s (Kraft) a fan so he has to feel like us,” Araujo said. “I just want him to make the best decisions for the franchise moving forward.”

Araujo was among those who felt it would be in the Patriots’ best interest to move on from Mayo, despite how he felt about Mayo as a player and a person. Mike Vrabel is more of a proven candidate and a middle ground between Belichick and Mayo, Araujo said, and the longtime season-ticket holder might just get his wish.

Justin Coscia and his father, Ray Coscia, natives of Quincy, Mass., had a big-picture message for Kraft and company.

“First, I’d thank him profusely,” Justin, 31, said while referencing the six Super Bowl championships and decades of dominance. “But I’d say I’m concerned about the direction of the franchise. … We’re at a real turning point.”

Ray, 63, added: “Thank you, but let’s lock in.”

Kraft made a swift move Sunday when he fired Mayo, his handpicked successor to Belichick, after just one season. The Patriots owner, who deserves blame for his initial decision to elevate Mayo to a job he wasn’t ready for, should receive some credit for tucking tail and pulling the plug.

That can’t be the only change made, however. Not if Kraft and Patriots ownership want season-ticket holders and diehards to be excited about the future.