Patriots fire head coach Jerod Mayo after 4-13 season; Eliot Wolf remains in role ‘at this time’; team requests interview with Lions OC
The Patriots swiftly fired Jerod Mayo following the team's 23-16 win over the Bills on Sunday. As of Monday morning, Mayo has been the only coach on the staff to be let go, according to multiple reports. This is despite Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reporting on Sunday that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was also given a pink slip. MassLive’s Mark Daniels and Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan poured cold water on that report Monday morning.
In addition, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh are also still in their roles, but changes could be made in the front office, too.
"Anticipate the personnel department getting more time to right the ship and fix the roster,” according to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, who reported on X.
Following the Patriots win and subsequently losing the opportunity for the No. 1 overall pick and slid to No. 4, Robert Kraft released a statement on his decision to show Mayo the door.
“After the game today, I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025,” Kraft said. “For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. 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 conducted himself in our community.
“When he joined our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident, as I saw how the players responded to him. When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach. Winning our season opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”
Mayo lasted just one season in New England after finishing the season 4-13. Expectations were low heading into the season, and the roster lacked talent outside of quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Following Mayo’s departure, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported that members of Bill Belichick's regime were skeptical of the Mayo hire from the beginning. The skeptics he spoke with believed that Mayo "needed more experience game planning, involvement in play calling, handling bigger situational decisions," and that New England's 4-13 season played out "about how we thought," per the report.
Mayo’s team played poorly on the field all season and looked ill-prepared against their opponents, plus the first-time head coach struggled in the media with mixed messaging all season long.
After he was hired, he declared the Patriots were going to “burn some cash” in free agency; while on WEEI, he said his team was “playing soft” in London against the Jaguars. Another example of Mayo chirping the media in the game against Arizona, he was asked why the team didn’t design quarterback runs for Drake Maye, seemingly throwing offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt under the bus.
The Patriots now turn the page on Mayo, and it’s expected the team has interest in Mike Vrabel, and they’ve requested an interview with the Lions’ Ben Johnson, who has been in Detroit since 2019.
This year, the Lions have the best offense in the NFL. Detroit finished the 2024 NFL season with the top-ranked scoring offense, averaging 33.2 points per game. Meanwhile, New England hasn’t scored 30 points in a game the last two seasons.
Hiring Johnson would give New England an offensive-minded head coach to pair with Drake Maye. With Maye on the roster, the Patriots could attract top offensive minds around the league.
Due to Johnson being employed by an NFL team, the Patriots must first request interest, and virtual interviews can be conducted this week. In-person interviews for non-playoff coaches can start on Jan. 20. Coaches on playoff teams can’t interview in Foxboro until their season is over. New England must satisfy the Rooney Rule as they’re conducting their new search for a head coach.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo makes another media gaffe
The New England Patriots dropped to 3-11 after a 30-17 road loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Not only did the Patriots get handed another defeat but they were handed another media gaffe by rookie head coach Jerod Mayo.
Do they really want to interview someone (Ben Johnson) outside their little ring of butt buddies? This is great news!!! The only way to expand is to do the things which make you uncomfortable and if the Patriots don't expand their mind, they'll get left behind by the rest of the NFL. Oh, Wait! They already DID get left behind in facilities, scouting, analytics, development staff, & much more. Got much work to do, but this is a good start