The New England Patriots On Monday, coach Jerod fired Mayo after just one season, and a report on Wednesday revealed telling details about his first year as an NFL head coach and what the lead-up to that decision looked like.
The Patriots ended the season with a win over AFC East rivals Buffalo Bills, but it wasn’t enough that owner Robert Kraft wanted to stay with Mayo.
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo walks onto the field prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“After the game, I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not return as head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025. For me personally, it was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made,” Kraft said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performance throughout the season did not go as I had hoped.”
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Mayo had developed in the Patriots system, first as a Super Bowl-winning player during his eight-year career and later as a linebackers coach under Bill Belichick. But it appears the “Patriots way” didn’t carry over into his coaching style.
According to a report from The athletic, one incident that stood out to those close to the situation was a plane ride home after a loss to the Arizona Cardinals last month.
The report claimed that rather than reviewing films with the coaching staff, Mayo opted to play cards with the players.
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at State Farm Stadium on December 15, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn images)
But in a move that surprised some at the front of the plane after such a lopsided loss, according to a team source, Mayo, the team’s first-year head coach who was handpicked by owner Robert Kraft to succeed Bill Belichick left his spot near the front and went back to where some players had gathered to play cards, choosing to hang out there while his assistants watched film,” Chad Graff’s report said.
PATRIOTS OWNER ROBERT KRAFT ASSUMES GUILTY AFTER FIRING JEROD MAYO: ‘ENTIRE SITUATION IS UP TO ME’
“Look, there are a lot of ways to do this job,” a team source on the plane told Graff. “It’s not that Jerod was absolutely wrong. But I can’t say I’ve seen that before.’
Other sources added that Mayo’s attempt to differentiate himself from Belichick may have been his downfall.
“Mayo, they found, tried too hard to be 180 degrees different from Belichick, but then struggled to apply and uphold discipline after positioning himself as a player coach,” the report continued.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick whistles during an NFL football practice, Wednesday, September 18, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
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For Kraft, he took on much of what led to Mayo’s problems.
“This whole situation is my fault. I feel terrible for Jerod. Because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said during a press conference on Tuesday. “I know that as a head coach he has all the tools to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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