“More sport than business,” Bill Belichick told CNBC’s Suzy Welch during an interview last offseason, “but it’s a business.” Belichick’s New England Patriots, who he leads in the dual-role of head coach and de-facto general manager, have been among the best-run business operations ever since owner Robert Kraft bought them in 1994. Especially with Belichick at the helm, the team has been the NFL’s best on and off the field.
No other organization has been able to balance creating a deep and leveled roster and the salary cap boundaries as well as New England since Belichick joined the operation in 2000.