You thought the end of the Bill Belichick era was bad? The team won just 12 games in his final two seasons. But it’s time to admit that the 2024 New England Patriots have officially hit rock bottom.
While Belichick may deserve some of the blame for the state of the Patriots’ roster, being that he was involved in the roster-building process, he’s no longer in Boston. Instead, this one falls on the shoulders of who’s coaching the team, Jerod Mayo.
Now, multiple analysts, including a Patriots insider are starting to question whether the organization made a grave mistake this past offseason.
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It’s probably too early to judge whether Jerod Mayo is capable of being a good or great NFL head coach. The 38-year-old has had just 16 games on the job, and it’s not like the New England Patriots are stacked with elite talent.
But that hasn’t prevented some from expressing how fed up they are with the team’s performance, especially as of late. New England ranks 30th in scoring and 25th in points allowed. They’re bad on both sides of the ball, and Saturday’s 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was the final straw, for some.
Take The Athletic’s Patriots insider Chad Graff for example. He’s already calling for the organization to fire Coach Mayo since the team has hit “rock bottom.” As for who Graff would hire? He’d hire former Patriots great Mike Vrabel, who took his team to the playoffs in three of his six seasons in Tennessee.
“Time for change. Time for Kraft to admit this has all been too much too soon for Mayo and set sights on hiring Mike Vrabel to be the Patriots’ new head coach.”
Chad Graff on New England Patriots’ coaching situation
At this stage in their careers, Vrabel is the more proven coach. That’s not to say Mayo can’t get there, but Vrabel has already delivered better results. For a Patriots franchise that has gotten used to winning, maybe it really already is time for change again. After all, Graff says Mayo is “in over his head.”
It’s hard to imagine Vrabel not being interested. He just joined the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023, and now he could be the one who helps bring the Patriots back to glory. But only if Mayo gets squeezed out of New England first.
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