Jerod Mayo and the New England Patriots’ win over the Buffalo Bills improved his first-year coaching record to 4-13, but it came at a steep cost.
The win not only dropped the Patriots from picking No. 1 overall down to No. 4 in the upcoming NFL Draft, but Mayo is also out of his job as the New England head coach after just one season.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft felt the time was right to move on from Mayo — who also was a former Patriot player from 2008-15 — but it was not an easy decision.
Patriots’ Difficult Decision To Part Ways With Jerod Mayo
Mayo took over the Patriots’ head-coaching job just one year after all-time great Bill Belichick was let go by the team. New England finished last in the AFC East for the second straight year.
Kraft released a lengthy statement on how difficult it was to fire Mayo after just one season on the job as Patriots coach.
“After the game today, I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025. For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” Kraft said in a statement. “I have known Jerod for 17 years. He earned my respect and admiration as a rookie in 2008 and throughout his career for his play on the field, his leadership in the locker room and the way he conducted himself in our community.
“When he joined our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident, as I saw how the players responded to him. […] Winning our season-opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”
Statement from Robert Kraft on the firing of Jerod Mayo: pic.twitter.com/0KBQZfGrIV
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 5, 2025
Kraft went on to say how he admires what Mayo has achieved as a former Patriots player and coach.
“I am grateful for Jerod’s many contributions to the New England Patriots throughout his career and will always be rooting for his success,” Kraft added. “I appreciate all his hard work and hope the experiences gained will help him in the future, as I still believe he will be a successful head coach in this league. I wish Jerod and his family nothing but success in the future.”
How Did Mayo Perform in 2024?
The first issue could be defeating the Bills and costing the Patriots the No. 1 overall pick, but there were other concerns with his team in 2024.
Offense was a big issue for this team. Mayo eventually started rookie Drake Maye this year to see what they had in him. There were plenty of ups and downs — as one would expect from a first-year quarterback.
A rookie quarterback can skew some of the offensive numbers, but scheming is magnified in tight windows, and the Patriots failed that test at every turn in 2024. This season, New England ranked 29th in third-down conversion rate (34.9%) and 30th in red-zone efficiency (46.8%).
The elite offenses are going to produce, but the ranking of the middle tier will be separated on the margins. Even in the scope of the teams working in a franchise QB, the Patriots’ inability to finish off drives was alarming:
Red Zone TD% (Ranks)
- Washington Commanders: 63.4% (6th)
- Denver Broncos: 62.3% (7th)
- Chicago Bears: 62.2% (8th)
- New England Patriots: 46.8% (30th)
That offensive production in the red zone was a big issue finishing near the bottom of the league. That does not mean there were some good things in Mayo’s one year.
He did help rookie QB Maye develop during the year.
While there were some ups and downs during his first season, Mayo put Maye in a position to develop, and we saw enough of that potential flash to believe that this team has its signal-caller of the future.
Maye was empowered to use his athleticism as a weapon, which opened up spots to show off his arm talent. Twice, he posted top-five QB+ grades for the week (Week 13 against the Colts and Week 16 in Buffalo), which puts him on a path to be a difference-maker as this franchise builds up its supporting cast.
Through Week 17, Maye’s QB+ rating placed him 20th in the league with a score of 75.4.
“His play has given some optimism to the Patriots, especially in clutch spots. Additionally, he has a terrible offensive line in front of him and one of the worst skill-position groups in the league, so improvements there this offseason should help him in 2025 and beyond.”
Maye did enough to be viewed as the Patriots’ quarterback of the future, but Mayo didn’t show enough to keep his job alongside him.