The New England Patriots finished with a 4-13 record for the second straight season. And for the second-straight season the Patriots will have a new head coach after the team fired Jerod Mayo following a rough first year in charge.
While Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft takes full responsibility for the failure, he took popular opinion surrounding Mayo into account before deciding to move on. Kraft was asked how much fan reaction to Mayo factored into the decision to fire the coach, according to a press release transcript provided by the Patriots Media Center. “Well, I’m the biggest fan, so I understand,” Kraft offered.
“Since the day we bought this team, I realized what a privilege it was and how lucky we were as a family, that this is the only business we're involved in where I see ourselves. We don't own this team. It's owned by the fans of this region. We're custodians of a very special asset of the community. That helps me try to make decisions that, if it was just personal, it would be different,” Kraft added.
While that’s not really an answer, nor is it a good way to run a football team, it became clear that the Patriots would likely fire Mayo as the team spiraled to a 3-13 record entering the season finale. New England had lost six straight games before surprisingly beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 18. The win improved the team to 4-13. It also cost the Patriots the top pick in the 2025 draft. New England fell to the fourth pick after the 23-16 victory Sunday. Mayo was dismissed later that day.
The Patriots took Jerod Mayo’s public popularity into account before firing the coach
Mayo spent his entire eight-year playing career with the Patriots after being selected by the team with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He joined New England’s coaching staff in 2019 as a linebackers coach and was elevated to head coach when Bill Belichick stepped down following the 2023 season. He was the first Black head coach in franchise history.
Now Mayo will go one-and-done in New England. The Patriots could opt to replace him with another former linebacker as Mike Vrabel is considered the top candidate for New England’s coaching vacancy. However, Kraft threw cold water on the notion, saying he needed to know more about the team’s other options before anointing Vrabel.
The Patriots are an appealing destination for coaches thanks in large part to first-year quarterback Drake Maye. However, with Maye sidelined, fellow rookie passer Joe Milton III had an excellent performance against the Bills, leading to sudden trade interest around the league.
