The Patriots officially moved on from Jerod Mayo on Sunday.
Following the New England Patriots’ season finale, owner Robert Kraft released a statement that head coach Jerod Mayo would not return in 2025.
After a 4-13 season, Mayo now becomes the first Patriots head coach to be fired after one season since Rod Rust in 1990. Here’s what it now means for the Patriots in a big-picture sense.
Head coaching search begins
After moving on from Bill Belichick last year, a clause in Jerod Mayo’s contract allowed the Patriots to quickly anoint him their new head coach without completing a full interview search. This time around, they will need to conduct a full process which includes satisfying the Rooney Rule by completing an in-person interview with at least two external diverse — minority and/or female — candidates.
While eyes will quickly turn to Mike Vrabel’s availability, New England should learn from last year’s mistake and conduct an extensive search to find their new head coach.
Front offices future
As the Patriots are set to blow out the coaching staff, eyes turn to Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf’s status with the team. According to multiple reports, Wolf is expected to be return to the Patriots in the same role which could have an impact on New England’s coaching search.
If Wolf holds that position moving forward, he will have an important offseason ahead of him with the No. 4 overall pick and a projected league-high amount of cap space.
Staff shakeup
As a new head coach will takeover, they will then bring a new offensive and defensive staff with them. That puts the future of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, and the rest of the Patriots positional coaches’ future in limbo.
If the search does end with Vrabel in charge, perhaps retaining Van Pelt, who current players have enjoyed working with and is close with Wolf, could be considered. Vrabel’s past Titans’ teams have run similar West Coast offenses and the two coaches previous ties to Cleveland is noteworthy.
In the likely outcome that a new coach hires elsewhere, it will mark the Patriots fourth offensive coordinator in four years since Josh McDaniels left in 2021 — and the second in Drake Maye’s second season.
Robert Kraft admits mistake
The Patriots owner admitted multiple times since naming Mayo his head coach that he hand picked him as Belichick’s successor years ago. Kraft expected “growing pains” in Mayo’s first season in charge with a roster that lacked talent, but to part ways proved that his decision today — which he acknowledged today as “one of the hardest” he had ever made — was the incorrect one.
“The trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hope,” Kraft said in a team-released statement.
Moving forward, it would not be a surprise to see the Kraft’s move away from a first-time head coach and look for someone with prior experience to fill the role.
Maye the main attraction
After their second straight 4-13 season, New England’s coach opening could however, be an attractive one. Beyond the high draft pick and ample salary cap space, the Patriots have the future of their franchise in quarterback Drake Maye.
Everything the Patriots do this offseason should be done with one goal in mind: support their then sophomore quarterback in every way possible. That includes adding talent to the roster around him and hiring a coach and staff to continue to help his development.