Jerod Mayo won his first game and his last game coaching the New England Patriots. The only problem? He lost 13 of the 15 games in between.
The Patriots fired Mayo as their head coach Sunday, with team owner Robert Kraft making a statement just over an hour after New England's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Statement from Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft: https://t.co/2YgHtzzBHK pic.twitter.com/GMXGgd768x
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 5, 2025
The Patriots went 4-13 under Mayo and had a minus-128 point differential, fifth-worst in the NFL. While Mayo appeared to be on steady ground for most of the season -- with the Krafts understanding that a rebuild in New England would take time due to a roster devoid of elite talent -- our Patriots Insider Phil Perry reported Sunday that there was an "air of uncertainty" on the coaching staff in the wake of the team's 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17.
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Now, Mayo is out as head coach in New England despite Kraft boasting before the season that he hand-picked the former Patriots linebacker as the successor to Bill Belichick as early as 2019.
Remarkable given the emotional investment Robert Kraft has had in Jerod Mayo. Not necessarily surprising, though, given the team’s performance this season.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) January 5, 2025
Mike Vrabel’s availability looms large. https://t.co/k2qQl8G8cj
The swiftness of the Patriots' decision to fire Mayo is surprising -- for context, New England didn't part with Belichick until the Thursday after its season finale last January -- but it could signal their desire to pursue Mike Vrabel, who already has interviewed for the New York Jets' head coach vacancy and is expected to be one of the top coaching candidates on the market.
NFL
Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls in New England as a player from 2001 to 2004, has interest in coaching the Patriots, as Perry and Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran both have reported.
The Patriots haven't fired any of their assistant coaches yet, per The MMQB's Albert Breer, but it seems highly likely that more change is coming to the coaching staff after Mayo's exit. New England hasn't made any front office changes yet, but that doesn't necessarily mean that de facto general manager Eliot Wolf is safe, according to Perry.
As of now, I’m told, there have been no changes made to the Patriots front office.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) January 5, 2025
It’s my understanding that that doesn’t mean Eliot Wolf’s role or anyone else’s is necessarily guaranteed for 2025.
Fluid situation as the team determines next steps after firing Jerod Mayo.
