The New England Patriots have been ranked near the bottom of all NFL teams in the last two NFLPA surveys, but team owner Robert Kraft sees brighter days ahead. Kraft called the results from last year's report card "eye-opening" on Tuesday, and said upgrades are on the way.

The Patriots ranked 31st out of the 32 NFL teams in the 2024 survey, with only the Arizona Cardinals finishing below New England. The biggest complaints by players centered around team travel and the state of New England's weight room, both of which earned the Patriots an "F" grade.

Overall, the Patriots were given a C+ or lower in eight of the 11 categories. The highest grade the team received was a B+ for head coach Jerod Mayo, who was fired by the team after a 4-13 season. 

Kraft addressed the poor scores Tuesday at the NFL's annual meetings in West Palm Beach, Florida. He understands the criticism from players, and believes the poor scores were the product of a lot of losing and a bad culture around the team. 

"It was an eye-opener for me and then I put it in context," Kraft told reporters Tuesday. "Going through these last two years and the way things were and the culture was there, it really opened my eyes in a way because we think we're bonding and we have things, but it just was not a good environment. And we want to do everything we can to make this one of the best places you can go.

"I think we had that for quite a while in terms of winning and people wanting to come here," Kraft added. "The last couple of years changed it. Now it's management and ownership's job to do everything they can to create the culture that this is a place people want to come to. I really believe it's happening and now we have to produce on the field. People have to want to come be in this environment, and we're trying to do the different things we can to make that happen."

Kraft addresses issues with Patriots team planes

While the Patriots famously have their own team planes, the vessels aren't seen as a huge upgrade in the eyes of players. In the NFLPA survey, the criticism over the team's travel stemmed from the team planes being too small, not having Wi-Fi, and having ashtrays in the armrests. 

Kraft fought back on the ashtrays on Tuesday, but did admit the planes could use an upgrade.

"First of all, let me just correct -- there are no ash trays on the plane. That goes back 30 years ago," said Kraft. "Has anyone gone on a plane with ashtrays? There are no ashtrays and I'm willing to take a bet with anyone who says that.

"We bought those planes to make it easier for our team to travel. It was very hard pre-COVID to get planes. We're in the process of trying to update and improve that," Kraft continued. "We want everything we do to be top of the heap and first class. Rather than having to go out and charter and everything, we wanted to control. We've let the planes be used by different charities. They've done a lot of good, but they do need an upgrade."

As far as the lackluster weight room goes, the Patriots announced plans to build a football-exclusive training facility in December. 

Kraft believes Patriots can make playoffs in 2025

With new head coach Mike Vrabel and an influx of talent in free agency, Kraft has high hopes for the 2025 New England Patriots. He's confident they'll find a foundational piece with the No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft, though he said he hopes the Patriots are never drafting so high again in his lifetime.

Kraft believes the Patriots are well ahead of "ground zero" in the franchise's rebuild, and expressed confidence that the team will make the playoffs in 2025. That will signify a successful season in Kraft's eyes.

"Ever since I've owned the team, the objective was to have the team make the playoffs. Once you make the playoffs, anything can happen," he said. "We have experience over the last few decades of seeing how that happens. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but after my family, this team is the most important thing in my life. The bottom line is wining games. 

"These last two years have been brutal, really. I want to try to do whatever I could to get back to a system and situation where we have hope and a chance to do anything. I really think we're on that path now," added Kraft.