FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots are planning a coaching change, parting ways with Jerod Mayo just a year after replacing Bill Belichick. Now, a franchise that was once more stable and successful than ever in the NFL has its third coach in just three seasons.
New England dismissed Mayo less than 90 minutes after the season ended on Sunday. It was a disastrous 4-13 campaign (and a Week 18 win that cost the team its No. 1 pick in the draft) in which Mayo seemed routinely in over his head. In everything from game planning to press statements. Mayo was given one of the worst rosters in the NFL, a roster overseen by Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf, according to team sources, but there are early signs that Wolf will remain with the Patriots.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft called the decision to fire Mayo “one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made.”
“Unfortunately, our team’s performance throughout the season did not improve as much as I had hoped,” he said in a statement.
Statement from Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft: https://t.co/2YgHtzzBHK pic.twitter.com/GMXGgd768x
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 5, 2025
It’s a shocking fall compared to the revelation 12 months ago that Mayo, then 37, was Kraft’s hand-picked successor to replace Belichick after 24 years at the helm. Kraft has quietly put his succession plan in writing, meaning the Patriots won’t have to interview a single candidate before handing the reins to Mayo.
That won’t be the case this time. The Patriots are expected to begin their search for a new coach immediately, and early signs point to one person, according to league sources. Kraft and company are expected to bring in Mike Vrabel, the 49-year-old former Patriots linebacker who shined under Belichick from 2001 to 2008 during the team’s first dynasty, but the franchise has yet to conduct further interviews for the position under the league’s Rooney Rule. must be carried out. .
Vrabel served as head coach of the Tennessee Titans for six years, compiling a 54-45 record while leading them to two division titles and an AFC Championship Game appearance. But last year, confidence in Vrabel began to crumble as the team brass watched him soak up all things New England, including his induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame during his bye weekend in Foxboro. In his halftime on-field speech, Vrabel, still the Titans’ coach, mentioned the Patriots and said, “We have a game to win.” Less than three months later, Vrabel was fired and no longer had a head coaching position.
“As a coach, you need clear communication with ownership so they understand what the expectations are,” Vrabel said. athleticZack Rosenblatt talks about what he’s looking for in his next job. “And I’d say there’s a quarterback you feel like you can beat, or there’s a way to find a quarterback you can beat.”
For Vrabel, the Patriots will likely check both boxes. Sources close to the situation believe Vrabel has shown interest in a potential open position with the Patriots in recent weeks. He was also interested in the Patriots gig after parting ways with Belichick a year ago, but learned Mayo had already been assigned the job.
At that point, the Patriots thought Mayo would be their coach for the next decade. Kraft and his fellow decision-makers viewed Mayo as the right person to follow Belichick. That’s because he helped bridge the franchise’s past success while also charting a new path.
At the press conference announcing Mayo’s hiring in January, Kraft said he knew Mayo would be the Patriots’ next coach in 2019.
“I believe Jarrod is the right person to lead the Patriots back to championship-level competition and long-term success,” Kraft said at the time.
Instead, Mayo oversaw one of the Patriots’ worst seasons since Kraft took over the team in 1994.
Mayo’s tenure began on a winning note with a surprising upset of the Cincinnati Bengals. After four straight losses, Mayo selected Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, as its starting quarterback and benched veteran Jacoby Brissett. Midway through the season, the Patriots had a last-minute win over their archrival, the New York Jets, and a win over the Chicago Bears. Things were getting better.
Kraft and the Patriots knew they wouldn’t have many wins this season. It was the first year of rebuilding after Belichick. The roster was bad. However, they hoped Mayo would establish a culture that would lead to excitement and progress towards the end of the season.
Instead, the Patriots became a punching bag. After a Week 14 bye, they were blown out by the Arizona Cardinals, blew a 14-point lead by the Buffalo Bills, and lost 40-7 at home to the Los Angeles Chargers. A loss to the Bills on Sunday would have cost them the top pick in the 2025 draft, but rookie backup quarterback Joe Milton led the Pats to a surprising 23-16 victory.
deeper
Jerod Mayo’s shooting was as much about his command off the field as it was the Patriots’ play.
To be fair to Mayo, many of the Patriots’ problems preceded him. The franchise is 10-31 in their last 41 games. The Pats haven’t scored more than 30 points in 45 straight games. They are 11-22 at home over the past four seasons. (Tom Brady has lost fewer games at Gillette Stadium in his entire Patriots career, going 115-19 at home.) They have finished with a winning percentage below .300 in consecutive years, which they have never done since. It’s something I’ve never done before. They were the Boston Patriots of the AFL in 1969 and 1970.
But by the end of the season, there was no sense that Mayo was on track to help the team fix its problems. No position on the roster has improved under his tutelage other than quarterback. While this is a notable exception, Maye’s success as a rookie further heightens the importance of getting Year 2 going in the right direction.
“We have tremendous fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years,” Kraft said Sunday. “I apologize for that. “I have given much thought and consideration to what steps I can take to quickly return to championship contention and have determined that this move is the best option at this time.”
Mayo becomes the sixth one-and-done NFL coach in the past four seasons and the first one-and-done Patriots coach since Rod Rust went 1-15 with the team in 1990.
All of this proved too early for Mayo. Kraft’s original plan was for Belichick to remain the Patriots coach in 2024, break Don Shula’s all-time wins record and become a mentor to Mayo. But after the succession plan was put in writing, Belichick’s relationship with Mayo soured, and Belichick, already isolated in his approach, retreated even further. The idea of having Mayo mentor Belichick was quickly quashed.
At that point, Kraft decided to part ways with Belichick and hand the reins over to Mayo. Even though it was a year earlier than planned and I didn’t get the mentoring I had originally planned. Of course, Mayo will struggle early on. But the hope was that he would learn on the job and grow throughout the year.
That didn’t happen. In many ways, Mayo has tried to be someone Belichick is not. As a former player, he tried to be a player-friendly coach, but accused the entire team of being “soft” after a Week 7 loss. He tried to be kinder than his mentor in his interviews with the media, but had to walk back a few comments. He said the team would “burn some cash” during free agency, but reversed course a few days later and the Patriots did not sign any major free agents.
After a Week 15 loss, he was asked if offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt should have called for a quarterback sneak on a key short play, and he responded, “You said it, I didn’t.” The next day, he withdrew his remarks, saying it was a “defensive response.” Before the Week 17 loss, he told radio and TV crews that Rhamondre Stevenson would not start the game to send a message about his recent mistakes. Then Stevenson started the game.
deeper
Mike Vrabel, Brian Flores and the top candidates to become the Patriots’ next head coach.
More importantly, the field product has deteriorated in embarrassing ways. As a former linebacker who learned under Belichick, defense was considered Mayo’s specialty. However, the Patriots defense, which ranked 7th in yards allowed per game (301.6 yards) in 2023, dropped to 23rd in 2024 (348.7 yards per game). The team’s rushing defense, which was fourth in 2023, also dropped to 25th in 2024. To put pressure on a unit that ranked last in the league with 28 sacks. The defense also gave up more than 30 points six times this season.
Offensively, the Patriots haven’t scored more than 25 points in a game all season. While Maye’s elevation was a bright spot, the team lacked playmakers in the passing game and the offensive line allowed the fifth-most sacks in the league. Only the Bears and Carolina Panthers average fewer yards per game this season, and only the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants have scored fewer points.
Part of the problem is Mayo’s lack of experience and familiarity with the rest of the NFL. He was drafted 10th overall by the Patriots in 2008. The University of Tennessee product spent eight seasons with the Patriots, reaching two Pro Bowls, winning Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2008 and being named a first-team All-Pro in 2010. He played his entire career for Belichick. He spent five years as a position coach with the Patriots and worked for only one coach: Belichick. So when it came time to fill out his staff, Mayo didn’t have the Rolodex of league-wide contacts that most managers do.
He interviewed more than a dozen offensive coordinator candidates because several turned down his offers. Ultimately, Mayo began his tenure surrounded by his first front office leader (Wolfe), first offensive play caller (Van Pelt), first defensive coordinator (DeMarcus Covington), and first special teams team member. coordinator (Jeremy Springer), first linebackers coach (Dont’a Hightower), first offensive line coach (Scott Peters) and first wide receivers coach (Tyler Hughes).
Lack of experience showed.
Sources inside the Patriots’ previous regime expressed skepticism that Mayo was ready to become head coach. Some leaders felt they needed more experience in game planning, play calling and handling big situational decisions. How was this season? “About what we thought,” one person said.
Whether it’s Vrabel or someone else, the new coach will inherit rising talent in quarterback Maye, running back Stevenson, cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and a strong defensive line led by Keion White and Christian Barmore. New England is scheduled to have the fourth pick in the 2025 draft. The team will also have ample cap space to address the various needs on the roster (particularly wide receivers, offensive line, defensive backs and pass rushers).
— Athletic‘s Jeff Howe contributed to this report.
Essential reading
• Is Coach Jerod Mayo’s job in question after another disappointing loss to the Patriots?
• How does Drake Maye compare to Mac Jones? They are closer than you think
• Patriots’ offseason priorities: A look at the team’s shopping list in free agency
(Photo: Richard Heathcote / Getty Images)
