RIP “The Dynasty.”

2001-24.

The Kremlin has been sacked, along with Drake Maye.

Gillette Stadium wasn’t overrun by the Visigoths. Nor did it fall to an invading army. And it wasn’t conquered by rebel forces.

The House of Kraft turned out to be a House of Cards once Tom Brady and Bill Belichick weren’t around to kick anymore.

It followed a path paved by the likes of Kodak, Xerox, the Soviet Union, Bradlees and the Spanish Empire from invincibility to historic footnote.

A quarter-century of dominance and intimidation ended in silence.

It succumbed to the Biblical parlay of time, hubris, vanity, and greed.

The official time of death came during the Patriots’ loss to Arizona on Sunday.

This patient flatlined as Robert and Jonathan Kraft were seen live on CBS bemoaning the team’s current offensive woes. It was finally pronounced dead in the post-game press conference with Je-Rod Rust’s “you said it, I didn’t” quip when asked about not running Maye at the goal line.

The internal rot began before Brady went South. After all, Robert Kraft “granted Brady his freedom” in favor of the irascible coach. Once Brady left, “The Dynasty’s” ebb exerted a gravitational pull toward irrelevance.

Not even Chapel Bill could slow its roll.

There was plenty of rust before Je-Rod took the head coaching gig.

Robert Kraft’s decision to name a neophyte as Belichick’s replacement triggered its own self-destruct mechanism. A non-lethal poison pill.

Especially a rookie head coach whose inability to handle the minimal tasks required of an NFL head coach becomes more glaring each week.

This was the NFL equivalent of turning on the lights in the kitchen an hour after you forget to put away the last piece of cake.

Once the light appears, everything scatters. Flunkies and fluffers exposed to the light at One Patriot Place can no longer hide. Foxboro is no longer an NFL Sanctuary City.

(Yes, we know it’s a town, but go with us on this one.)

Brady and Belichick masked almost everything. Brady far more than Belichick. Even though last year’s four-win Patriots team was woefully ineffective, Belichick’s players at least knew the snap count.

Mayo brilliantly maneuvered himself to get into this position. He offered a tantalizing mixture of NFL bonafides, media savvy, and corporate butt-kissing charm that turned out to be irresistible for the elder Kraft.

And he was forever loyal to the Patriots brand.

Mayo was a 10.0 hire on paper and on camera.

He also checked the NFL’s all-important box of being a Black head coach.

But NFL games are played on neither platform. And the only race that matters during the season is the playoff race.

The Patriots’ coach owns a reputation for speaking first and thinking later.

That’s my job.

Part of being a leader requires discretion, if not self-deprecation.

Belichick had reached his sell-by date in Foxboro. But he never threw his coordinators under the Franklin/Foxboro Commuter Rail train in a post-game press conference.

Good on BB for shaking down the Tar Heels to enrich his kids and disciples.

Anyone offering odds on the next varsity coach of the UNC cheerleading squad?

Reports that Belichick offered himself to the Jets for consideration before following Rodney Dangerfield back to school demonstrates his 2024 swoon.

Brady was not spared in 2024, either. His ex-wife got pregnant in real life by the same karate instructor whose love-making prowess was part Nikki Glaser’s wickedly funny “Tom Brady Roast” routine. Brady was gifted the top analyst job at FOX. He’s been remarkably mundane, offering as many cliches as clicker-illustrated replays.

But even in defeat, Brady still gets the win over Kraft and Belichick. He’ll be working at Super Bowl 59.

With the demise of “The Dynasty,” its chief protagonist remains on the hook for the fate of this franchise. Especially since “Kraft Dynasty LLC” produced a 10-part infomercial deifying his stewardship.

You can’t blame Mayo for being put into a position to falter.

The blame lies with the person who put him there.

(A column under this byline called for the Patriots to hire Mike Vrabel as Belichick’s replacement a year ago.)

And since we officially buried Je-Rod Rust here two weeks ago, today we remind you that the success or failure of any NFL organization lies with ownership.

The guy who holds the trophy first after each Super Bowl always carries the majority of failure’s blame pie.

Kraft paid Belichick & Sons $100 million (counting this season) not to win a playoff game before the two mutually agreed to part ways. Kraft opted not to pay Brady whatever he wanted before the 2019 season. The owner happily went along with Belichick when the coach was finding ways to deliver the best value per player of anyone.

But when Mayo spoke of “cash to burn,” Kraft let it be known that said cash was wrapped in a fire-proof blanket and placed inside a waterproof vault at the bottom of a swimming pool.

No one plans to fail. Except maybe the Jets. But the Patriots have now joined them among the NFL’s laughingstocks.

The snippet of airtime featuring Robert and Jonathan Kraft seen via CBS Sunday demonstrates that the House of Kraft has serious cracks in the foundation. When the owner and his heir are at odds on live television, the challenges ahead are steeper than seats in the 300s.

Kraft may or may not realize this, but the 25-plus years of goodwill he earned in New England has all but evaporated in the 2,114 days since the Patriots won a playoff game.

Kraft may never see his bust in Canton, but he’s a Hall of Famer for what he’s done as Patriots owner.

But that was then.

And it’s been now for five years.

Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BillSperos on X) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com