The New England Patriots wasted no time this past offseason in replacing Bill Belichick, immediately promoting Jerod Mayo as part of a succession plan put in place by owner Robert Kraft. Less than a year later, there’s now a chance Mayo could join the list of one-and-done NFL head coaches.
Mayo, age 38, took over a Patriots franchise that was in the early stages of a rebuild. While New England used its first-round pick on Drake Maye, who is playing like a franchise-caliber quarterback right now, the Patriots roster is still one of the worst in the NFL.
Expectations were low for the Patriots this season, even within the organization. Even as the team sat on pace for its second consecutive season with fewer than five wins, the majority of NFL rumors suggested Mayo would return as the Patriots head coach in 2025. However, that sentiment seems to have changed.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, “pressure is rising” on the first-year Patriots coach. Many around the league now believe Mayo will have to finish the season strong to be guaranteed his job in 2025. Otherwise, there could be a legitimate Patriots coaching search this offseason.
A big part of the problem for New England is the fact that this defense has taken a massive step backward under Mayo. With a similar roster in 2023, Belichick still orchestrated a top-12 defense in most key NFL stats. A year later, the Patriots have one of the worst NFL defenses in 2024.
However, it’s not the only reason Mayo could be fired. The first-year Patriots coach has created headlines in multiple post-game press conferences for seemingly deflecting blame and placing it squarely on the shoulders of Patriots players and members of his coaching staff. He’s now seemingly lost the full support within the organization and if New England loses its final three games against the Buffalo Bills (twice) and Los Angeles Chargers, May could be fired after Week 18.
If Mayo is fired, former Patriots linebacker and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel would likely emerge as the leading candidate to become New England’s head coach in 2025. Kraft would also likely target Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who worked on the Patriots coaching staff from 2008-2018 and has years of coaching experience both as a head coach and a well-regarded defensive play-caller.
