The New England Patriots have fired head coach Jerod Mayo following the conclusion of the 2024 NFL campaign. Mayo, who spent only 1 year in the position, posted a 4-13 record in his lone season on the sidelines at Foxborough.
“For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “I have known Jerod for 17 years. He earned my respect and admiration as a rookie in 2008 and throughout his career for his play on the field, his leadership in the locker room and the way he conducted himself in our community. When he joined our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident, as I saw how the players responded to him. When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach. Winning our season-opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”
“Since buying the team, I have always considered myself and my family as custodians of a public asset. We have tremendous fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years. I apologize for that. I have given much thought and consideration as to what actions I can take to expedite our return to championship contention and determined this move was the best option at this time.”
“I am grateful for Jerod’s many contributions to the New England Patriots throughout his career and will always be rooting for his success. I appreciate all his hard work and hope the experiences gained will help him in the future, as I still believe he will be a successful head coach in this league. I wish Jerod and his family nothing but success in the future.”
Ownership will begin the search for a new head coach immediately, with rumours circulating that former Patriot Mike Vrabel is high on Robert Kraft’s list of potential candidates. With Patriots division rival in New York having interviewed Vrabel earlier this week, it appears that the quick-trigger firing of Mayo may be to prevent the Jets from landing the much sought after coach.
Mayo joins 9 other NFL head coaches over the last decade as 1st year coaches who didn’t make it to a 2nd season, with Frank Reich in Carolina being the most recent example. The firing is surprising not because of New England’s desire to bring in a stabilizing force on the sidelines, but because of how Mayo has hand picked by Kraft and groomed over several seasons to take on the role.
However, the team took several steps back this season, most notably on defence where they finished last in the NFL in QB hits, and had only 12 takeaways on the season. New England’s victory over Buffalo in the final week of the season may have ended the season on a high note for the rostered players, however the victory dropped the Patriots out of the 1st overall selection at the NFL draft, sliding back to 4th.
New England is expected to cast a wide net in their search for their next head coach, but are expected to move fast in the coming weeks to fill the void.
Photo: Fort Drum & 10th Mountain Division (LI). This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1930, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal. See this page for further explanation.