FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Robert Kraft remembers the day he knew Jerod Mayo would be Bill Belichick's successor as New England Patriots head coach. Kraft was waiting in a private lounge at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, joined by past and present Patriots players at the end of a six-day trip in June 2019.
Kraft had regularly sponsored spiritual visits to Israel, bringing Pro Football Hall of Famers who have described being baptized in the Jordan River and visiting holy sites in Jerusalem as transformative.
This trip was different. Dedicated solely to Patriots players from all eras of his ownership tenure, it transformed Kraft's future vision for the franchise.