That’s the end of the road for Jerod Mayo as the Patriots head coach. After being given the opportunity to succeed legendary Bill Belichick, Mayo didn’t even last two seasons in New England. Those results over the course of this season were so poor that the Kraft family had enough of Mayo’s coaching. Even after winning their last game of the season, Robert Kraft decided it was time to move on.

Just minutes after the final whistle in Foxborough, the Patriots owner released a statement, “After the game today. I informed Jerod Mayo that he would not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performance throughout the season did not ascent as I had hoped.” Despite signing Mayo to a contract that pays him at least $3.5M annually, Kraft decided it was better to send Mayo packing off. That would give them an option of a fresh start with the No.4 overall pick next season.

Judging by his contract, Mayo could probably have walked away with more than $3M because he did complete the regular season at the very least. A former linebacker for New England, Mayo returned to the Patriots as a specialist coach in 2019, earning a salary of at least $400,000 per year. Kraft became their head coach on Jan 17, 2024. And his annual pay exceeded $3.5 million in the new role.

It was pretty unusual for Kraft to pull the plug on Mayo, considering his handling of head coaches in his 30-plus-year reign. Kraft had only hired three managers: Pete Carroll (3 seasons), Bill Belichick (24 seasons), and Mayo (one-and-done). Yeah, that’s right. Mayo is the first Pats coach since Rod Rust in 1990 to leave after just one season in charge.

Now, Kraft didn’t just announce his verdict on Mayo’s sacking on the statement he released after the game. He also wished him the best of luck in his future endeavors, “I appreciate all his hard work and hope the experiences gained will help him in the future. As I still believe he will be a successful head coach in this league. I wish Jerod and his family nothing but success in the future.” So what led the 83-year-old to relieve Mayo of his duties? Was it the fans or his poor management of the players? Let’s find out.

Jerod Mayo: A gamble that was doomed from the beginning

Remember how the Patriots started their regular season with an upset win over the Bengals? Yeah, that looks like a distant memory right now. At that time, it looked like Mayo was the chosen one to replace the outgoing Bill Belichick. However, everything soon started crumbling down in Foxboro. The Pats went on to lose their six straight games. And that 6th loss to the Jaguars at London led to Mayo calling out his team publicly, “What I would say look, we’re a soft football team across the board.” Now, he didn’t just throw his players or even his support staff under the bus throughout the season. 

The final nail in the coffin was probably the moment when the Patriots Nation started booing Mayo after their week 17 drubbing at the hands of the Chargers. Well, they didn’t just boo some section of fans in Foxboro, also called for Mayo to be sacked. Even though his players came out in numbers to support him publicly, saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Those words still weren’t enough to change Kraft’s decision. As he wrote in his statement, “We have tremendous fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years. I apologize for that.”

With that apology, the Patriots are yet again on the market for a new head coach. So, what are your thoughts on who will win the race to the Patriots hot seat before 2025?