Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Apologizes to Fans for Super Bowl Loss at Party

Patriots owner Robert Kraft apologized to the team's fans at a party after New England's 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night in Super Bowl LII at Minneapolis.  

"I'm really sorry we didn't close it out tonight," he said on stage, per TMZ Sports, adding: "We're sorry we disappointed you, believe me. We feel bad."

He added, "We're gonna do everything we can do to be competitive next year and go down there to Atlanta and blitz for six [Super Bowl titles]."

Which pieces of New England's team will be back for 2018 is up in the air, however. Superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski, for instance, was vague about his future after the game: 

Then there was cornerback Malcolm Butler, a pending unrestricted free agent who was mysteriously benched by the team for the game after playing 97.8 percent of New England's snaps during the 2017 regular season.

"They gave up on me. F--k. It is what it is," he said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

"I don't know what it was," he added. "I guess I wasn't playing good or they didn't feel comfortable. I don't know. But I could have changed that game."

And while Brady said he planned on being back in 2018 after the Super Bowl loss, there are questions if the triumvirate of Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and Kraft will work together another season. Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com reported in January that there was a power struggle between the three that threatened their relationship, although the team disputed that report.

Even if Belichick returns, as expected, he'll do so with a coaching staff that has a much different look. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is expected to be named the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Ditto for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions.

As long as Belichick and Brady are around, the Patriots will be contenders. But they're also entering an offseason with plenty of questions in need of answering.