The New England Patriots promoted their inside linebackers coach, Jerod Mayo, to head coach after parting ways with Bill Belichick last season. However, the franchise fired the 38-year-old only a year later after finishing the season with a 4-13 record.
Mayo’s final win over the Buffalo Bills in the regular-season finale was costly, dropping New England from the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to No. 4 overall. Now, the Patriots will be on the lookout for their second coach in as many years.
Patriots Executives’ Shocking Claim About Jerod Mayo
The Athletic’s Chad Graff reported a questionable incident involving the ex-Patriots head coach. When the team was on its way back following a 30-17 loss against the Arizona Cardinals, Mayo chose to play cards with players instead of analyzing the film with the coaching staff.
It was New England’s fourth straight defeat, taking their season record to 3-11.
“Look, there are a lot of ways to do the job. It’s not that Jerod’s was definitely wrong. But I can’t say I’ve seen that before,” a Patriots executive told Graff.
After an uncompetitive loss in Arizona, Jerod Mayo “surprised” #Patriots execs and coaches when he opted to play cards with players on the plane ride back rather than watch film with assistants, per @TheAthletic.
“I can’t say I’ve seen that before,” a staff member said. pic.twitter.com/wxQhOywVvf
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) January 8, 2025
With just four wins to their name and multiple heavy defeats throughout the season, Mayo’s way of coaching was unorthodox, to say the least.
One can defend Mayo, saying the team was in a clear state of rebuilding with one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, allowing pressure at the third-highest rate. Moreover, they didn’t have any real weapons on that side of the ball either, leading to a 28th-ranked offense according to PFN’s Offensive+ metric.
Even with a 4-13 record, there were quite a few positives to take away for the Patriots this season. Despite the quality of the roster, quarterback Drake Maye shined in his limited time.
Even though he was ranked 20th among all quarterbacks according to PFN’s QB+ metric, he was second among all rookies behind the likely Offensive Rookie of the Year winner, Jayden Daniels.
Mayo seemed to know this move was coming, as he was quite combative with the media after the Patriots’ Week 18 win over Buffalo.
“For me, it’s all about just this game, to go back to the start. It’s all about this game, and we’ll talk about that tomorrow,” Mayo said when asked if he expected to be back as head coach next year.
“… At some point in time here, I’ll have my normal meeting with the Krafts, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Robert Kraft Takes Responsibility for Failed 2024 Season After Firing Mayo
After firing Mayo, Patriots owner Robert Kraft did not put the blame on his now-former head coach but rather on himself.
“This whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation. I know that he has all the tools of a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job,” he said.
Kraft shared the reason behind moving on from Mayo.
“This whole situation evolved, but I’d say over the last month, I went back and forth. The high point of everything for me was winning the Cincinnati game. Then mid-season, I just think we started to regress,” Kraft said.
“I don’t like losing. I don’t like losing the way we lost. Things were not developing the way we would have liked, and it was time to move on,” he added.
As Kraft and the Patriots move forward, the lingering questions about Mayo’s firing and the team’s future continue to fuel speculation, with fans weighing in on every twist.
A potential name to look out for might be Brian Flores from the Minnesota Vikings. While reports of Kevin O’Connell being on the move are making the rounds, Flores could be a name to monitor for the defense-loving Patriots.
An excellent schemer, he turned the Vikings into a stifling defensive juggernaut. According to PFN’s defensive metrics, Minnesota ranks third in the NFL. As part of the Belichick coaching tree, it might be a return to old hunting grounds for Flores as well.