Mayo out as Pats fall off rails

The New England Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo shortly after the regular season finale on Sunday, further pushing back the team’s return to contention … whenever that may now be.
To be frank, I do not know how anyone could not see this coming the moment he was hired.
When looking at Mayo’s coaching resume, it was thin at best. He was never a defensive coordinator and was an assistant for just five years prior to being named Bill Belichick’s successor. The lack of experience alone should have worried everyone in New England, but owner Robert Kraft took the chance based purely on instinct. Instinct being the key word here, because there was nothing on paper to suggest that he was ready for the responsibilities that come along with being an NFL head coach.
Now, is Mayo a good coach? Yes, I believe he is an NFL-caliber coach with a bright future ahead of him. He drew rave reviews from players and coaches alike before being elevated to head coach and he was one of the smartest linebackers in the league during his time as a player. He was a key voice in recent Patriot defenses, which typically were among the best in the league.
But to be a head coach without experience as a coordinator? This proves that it is just too big of a leap. Even if Mayo spent a season or two as a college head coach, that may have been enough experience to help him along, but he just did not have the qualifications at this point in his career.
Many people, most people in fact, have mentioned the roster that he inherited this season. It was one of the worst rosters in the league, if not the worst, filled with draft busts and overpaid middlers. I have been quite critical of Belichick in the past and have taken aim at his poor roster construction the last several years of his reign and his choices are still hampering the team to this day. It is impossible to assess Mayo’s performance without mentioning the players and lack of talent he took on. That said, though, the team slowly regressed as the season wore on. Regardless of talent, that can’t happen.
There were also some off-field shenanigans that took place in the final weeks as well. Mayo now infamously threw offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt under the bus after the team laid an egg coming off the bye week against the Arizona Cardinals, he also committed to Antonio Gibson as the team’s starting running back in an interview hours before the team took the field and ultimately went with Rhamondre Stevenson. Players began speaking out against the fans that have been booing, Mayo started getting testy with media members when they inquired about the happenings of the team. Things fell of the rails fast in the final month of the season.
Is it fair that Mayo is being ousted after just one year with a terrible roster? Yes, it certainly is.
It does not matter how poor the roster is. It is up to the coach to ensure things improve as the season progresses and to have his team act professionally on a daily basis. That’s not to say that the team needed to do a complete 180 and compete for a playoff spot, but we needed to at least see things remain steady while also picking up a few more wins and not having weekly foot-in-mouth moments on the podium. Had Mayo conducted himself a little better on the mic and picked up even just another win or two, I believe he would have saved his job. For people saying he did not get a fair shake, it’s not an unreasonable take, but an incorrect one. At the end of the day, he completely lost control of the operation down the stretch.
Now, to address the whole situation with the upcoming draft. The Patriots entered the finale with a chance to grab the first overall pick in April’s NFL Draft. Had they lost against the Bills last Sunday, they would have secured it. With the (wacky) win, one in which the Bills handed to them, clearly, the Pats dropped to No. 4 overall. What a crushing blow to the future of the franchise.
No one expected the Pats to make a selection with the top pick, but quarterback-needy teams in recent years have sold the farm to move up to acquire this spot. The Pats would have likely secured an additional first round pick in 2026, along with multiple other selections and maybe even a starting-caliber player in the process. The No. 4 pick is nothing to sneeze at and the team will be picking again at 38, but to leave that much on the table for a meaningless late season win was demoralizing.
There is no one to blame here, though. You can’t actually expect professional players and coaches to throw a game just for the sake of acquiring draft capital. It just stings that so much was lost and virtually nothing was gained on Sunday. It was one of the most bizarre games that I have ever watched. The Patriots sat most of their starters and the Bills were not so subtle in trying to stick it to their division rival. The Bills had nothing to play for, so why not stand in the way of the Pats earning the top pick? Buffalo was conservative on offense and loose on defense. It was the only time I have ever seen an NFL team completely hand a division rival a win.
It’ll be one of the most intriguing head coaching searches in Boston sports history. It seems like the Pats have Mike Vrabel circled and have had his name in mind for several years now. They will also be interviewing Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as well.
I’d go Vrabel.
Look, what Johnson has done in Detroit is remarkable and he has proven to be an elite offensive coach, something this Patriots team desperately needs, especially with a young quarterback under center in Drake Maye. I would not be disappointed in the slightest if Johnson gets the job.
Experience should be the primary focus here, though, and Vrabel has plenty of it. He was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans for six years and reached the playoffs three of those seasons, even advancing to the AFC Championship in his second year at the helm. Things did not end pretty as the Titans missed the playoffs in consecutive years and Vrabel apparently chewed out members of the front office. However, reports suggest that his frustration was due to the team not going all-in on its roster and boxing him out when it came to personnel decisions. Vrabel seems capable of rocking the boat, but he has also proven to be capable of coaching a team to success. This isn’t even mentioning the fact that he wants to be in New England, per other reports.
Go get him.