Jerod Mayo’s tenure as New England Patriots head coach has ended after just one season, with owner Robert Kraft acknowledging a rushed transition that set the young coach up for failure.
Mayo, who was appointed as Bill Belichick’s handpicked successor by owner Robert Kraft, took over earlier than planned after Belichick and the franchise agreed to part ways following the 2023 season, when the team went 4-13. The original succession plan had called for Mayo to replace Belichick when his contract ended in 2025.
Instead, Mayo inherited one of the NFL’s worst rosters and matched his predecessor’s record, going 4-13 in 2024. However, the team’s performance wasn’t the only factor in his dismissal. According to an NFL insider, structural issues and inexperience played major roles in Mayo’s downfall.
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he put Jerod Mayo in ‘untenable situation’
In announcing Mayo’s dismissal, Kraft admitted he put him in an “untenable situation.”
“This whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said. “I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job.”
Robert Kraft on the decision to move on from Head Coach Jerod Mayo. pic.twitter.com/zTADw2lrui
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 6, 2025
Mayo was supposed to learn under Belichick, but never fully got that chance. The Athletic’s Chad Graff reported that Mayo didn’t have an “experience sounding board” to lean on since he had many first-time assistant coaches on his staff.
“But from day one, Mayo ran into issues. It started while trying to build out his coaching staff. Mayo’s entire eight-year professional playing career was with one team and one coach. So Mayo’s Rolodex was tiny. He interviewed more than a dozen candidates for the offensive coordinator job before Alex Van Pelt finally accepted the role,” Graff reported.
Another mistake Mayo made, according to Graff, was not bringing back Steve Belichick, Bill’s son, as defensive coordinator, despite having a top-10 defense. Mayo, instead, promoted defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington. When offered a lesser role, the younger Belichick declined and became defensive coordinator at the University of Washington. The impact was immediate: The Patriots’ defense plummeted from eighth in defensive EPA per play in 2023 to 30th in 2024.
Questions about Mayo’s ability to enforce team discipline also emerged. In a notable incident before Week 17’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Mayo announced that running back Rhamondre Stevenson would be benched for fumbling issues, only to start him anyway.
“I still don’t know what happened with that,” a team source told The Athletic. “Honestly, Jerod is a good guy. I just don’t think he was ready for all the big decisions and discipline and focus the job takes.”
As the Patriots look to their future, Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Vrabel has emerged as one of the favorites to become the next head coach.
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