FOXBOROUGH, MA – It's no secret that Robert Kraft holds a lot of love and respect for Tom Brady. 

And on Sunday, Kraft along with the New England Patriots organization will honor the quarterback for all of his contributions. 

"I talked to him very recently and he's really excited and I'm excited because our fans never really got a chance to say goodbye in a proper way," Kraft said to the media on Thursday. "We're going to do something special and unique with him."

Brady will return to Gillette Stadium for the Patriots season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and they will hold a ceremony at halftime in his honor. 

Kraft added the 20 members of his family will be in attendance, including his parents, his siblings, his nieces, and his nephews.

"We're honored to be hosting all of them," Kraft said. "He made such amazing contributions and when you think about it, the NFL is over 103 years old I believe, and we were privileged to have the greatest player in the history of the game for 20 percent of those years, right here."

Brady's start with the Patriots was a true Cinderella story, as the quarterback was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. And fast forward 23 seasons later, Brady retired as a seven-time Super Bowl champion. 

Brady's drive and determination are always talked about, with Kraft highlighting the impact he had when he was with the team.  

"If you saw him in the huddle, he could make average players better. He brought the best out of people," Kraft said. "But this same guy is a guy who has a heart of gold and would be emotional and sensitive. I've never met another human being to be as competitive as he can be. And then to have a heart of gold and be such a high quality human being. So we're just lucky that we had him."

Throughout the week, Bill Belichick and the players have been reflecting on Brady's impact. And many of the players who had the opportunity to play with him are sharing some of their favorite memories and stories. 

"I think it's kind of cool that we can say thank you," Kraft said. "He had such a great hand in creating the culture."

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Featured Image via Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK