8. Mart 2001.
"The Patriots held a press conference Wednesday to announce Bledsoe's $103 million, 10-year deal, the richest in NFL history."
"I remember feeling sad when Bobby Orr left,'' Kraft said of the NHL Hall of Famer who left Boston for Chicago near the end of his career. "I saw this as an opportunity to sign one of the great Patriots for the rest of his career."
Bledsoe, 29, has been voted to the Pro Bowl three times and owns every Patriots passing record worth having. But when the team struggled last season, there was speculation that Kraft and Belichick were not sold on Bledsoe as their quarterback, that they were looking to trade him so they could shore up several other positions and remake the team with a younger, more mobile quarterback.
"It has never once been in my mind,'' Kraft said. "Sometimes, our friends in the media like to stir the pot. To help circulation, I guess."
http://articles.courant.com/2001-03-08/sports/0103082886_1_bledsoe-s-record-deal-patriots-salary-capBledsoe se povredio u 2. utakmici nove sezone i izuzimajuci jedan drive u finaly konferencije te godine, vise nije zaigrao za New England i bio trade-ovan u Billse.