FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In a surprising turn, Jerod Mayo is out after one year as head coach of the New England Patriots, the team announced Sunday.
The Patriots finished the 2024 season with a 4-13 record. Mayo's one-year tenure ties Rod Rust, who went 1-15 in 1990, for the shortest in franchise history.
“For me personally, this was one of the most difficult 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 carried himself in our community. When he joined joined On our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident, when I saw how the players responded to him. When other teams began asking to interview him, I feared losing him and committed to making him our next head coach. away from home in Cincinnati only reinforced my convictions. Unfortunately, our team's trajectory throughout the season was not as expected.”
“Since purchasing the team, I have always considered myself and my family as custodians of a public good. We have enormous fans who expect and deserve a better product than what we have delivered in recent years. I apologize for that. I have thought a lot into it. and consideration about what actions I can take to expedite our return to championship contention and determined that 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 of his hard work and hope that the experiences gained will help him in the future, as I still believe they will. “A successful coach in this league. I wish Jerod and his family every success in the future.”
The Patriots won Mayo's last game as coach, a 23-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills that moved New England from the No. 1 seed in the 2025 draft to No. 4.
Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft will now begin the search for the Patriots' 16th head coach, with former New England linebacker and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel among the expected candidates. that they interview.
Robert Kraft expected “growing pains” in Mayo's debut season, in part because Mayo inherited a depleted roster. The Patriots began the year tied with the Carolina Panthers for the lowest projected win total (4.5), so the decision to leave Mayo reflects that Kraft saw the team's struggles as more than just a result of a lack of talent.
Firing a head coach after one season is rare, but unprecedented.
In the last decade, Mayo joins Frank Reich (Panthers, 2023), Nathaniel Hackett (Denver Broncos, 2022), Lovie Smith (Houston Texans, 2022), David Culley (Texans, 2021), Urban Meyer (Jacksonville Jaguars, 2021 ), Freddie Kitchens (Cleveland Browns, 2019), Steve Wilks (Arizona Cardinals, 2018), Chip Kelly (San Francisco 49ers, 2016) and Jim Tomsula (49ers, 2015) as non-interim head coaches who did not reach their second season.
Mayo, 38, had been hand-picked by Robert Kraft as Bill Belichick's successor, and Kraft cited his ability to connect with a younger generation of players. Mayo played linebacker for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015, served as a finance executive at a health care company after his retirement and worked in the media, before joining Belichick's staff as linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023.
In the years before being named the Patriots' head coach on Jan. 17, 2024, he had interviewed for head coaching positions with the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders. Kraft was worried about losing Mayo, so in 2023 he inserted language into his contract that would make him Belichick's successor. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell later called the succession clause “smart management.”
One of the biggest disappointments of Mayo's one-year tenure was the defense, considering that was his experience as a former player and assistant.
The defense regressed in several areas, entering the end of the season with just 12 takers and ranking last in the NFL in quarterback contacts, according to ESPN Research.
He also walked back multiple comments throughout the year, acknowledging that he made a “rookie mistake” by saying shortly after being hired that the Patriots would “burn some money” in free agency. He later amended his comments to say the Patriots would spend wisely. Mayo also made headlines by calling the Patriots “soft football across the board” following a sixth straight loss in October, which he clarified the next day by saying the team was “playing soft.”
Mayo, who spoke more to the media than Belichick, acknowledged several times during the year that he would make mistakes as a first-year coach and planned to learn from them. He described his coaching style as rooted in “developing people” and noted that “my calling is to be a teacher and help them see what they don't want to see but need to see.”
The Patriots have not won a playoff game since their 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on February 3, 2019.
