A sparsely filled Gillette Stadium echoed with “Fire Mayo” chants in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ humbling at the hands of the Chargers. The 40-7 blowout at home confined Jerod Mayo’s side to a sixth defeat in a row, leaving the Pats with an abysmal 3-13 record thus far. This was not what Kraft had in mind when he appointed Mayo as the HC, something he claimed he planned five years ago.

Taking over from Belichick after a 4-13 season was not going to be easy. The Pats and Kraft had large were prepared for a bumpy ride with an inexperienced coach at the helm. But it is not only the results that have diminished Mayo’s stock. There have been quite a few questionable decisions along the way, with the December 23 defeat to the Bills the latest example of his ineptitude in key situations.

With his team down two scores and their offense near midfield and a little more than eight minutes remaining, Mayo opted to punt. The team needed two scores to complete what could have been a remarkable comeback against the Bills, but because of Mayo’s punt, they didn’t even get two possessions and ended up losing 21-24. With the latest horror show against the Chargers, is time up for Mayo?

First-year coaches often struggle, but this is the Patriots we’re talking about – they’re not exactly used to being at the bottom of the barrel. Hence, Kraft is faced with a dilemma of whether to Mayo more time to figure things out or hit the reset button. NFL insider Albert Breer thinks the owner might exercise patience.

Speaking on the December 30 episode of the Rich Eisen Show Breer said, “To me, Robert Kraft does not want to fire Jerod Mayo. I don’t think they want to be that franchise that’s acting in that sort of scattershot way.” However, Breer was quick to point out that the availability of former Titans coach Mike Vrabel is something that the Pats may have to consider, given his track record.

“That said that was an ugly ugly ugly game on Saturday there is a coach out there who will be the bell of the ball in Mike Vrabel, who is probably going to be available only this one year. I think if you think you can get him, then you have to think about it,” Breer said.

Vrabel comes in with a coaching pedigree and history with the Patriots. A linebacker under Belichick, he won three Super Bowls as part of the Pats’ first dynasty, before moving to the Chiefs when Mayo arrived in New England. He also enjoys a good relationship with Kraft, with the two dining together last year when Vrabel was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

After retiring in 2011, Vrabel served as the linebackers coach at Ohio State, before he was appointed by the Texans in the same role and later served as the defensive coordinator. But his most successful period came as the head coach at the Titans from 2018-2023. During this time, he led the Titans to four winning seasons, many AFC South crowns, and an AFC Championship game.

He could be the shot in the arm that the Patriots need to revive their fortunes but Breer believes Kraft is likely to show faith in Mayo for another season.

Breer added,

“I do feel like Jerod is going to be judged on a few different things. Number one are the players still playing hard for him. We’ll see Sunday because that didn’t look great on Saturday. Number two has he shown that he can effectively manage his staff. That’s you know we’ll see. Then three is there is some direction for his program. So I think all of that’ll be assessed. I think they want to bring him back for a second year. Maybe with some additions to his coaching staff to add some experience on both sides of the ball.“

The Pats have struggled defensively and offensively this season. Alex Van Pelt’s offense has been unable to deliver despite having Drake Maye in the lineup, and the defense under DeMarcus Covington has been no better. In their latest defeat, the Pats had  181 yards compared to the Chargers’ 428. Mayo’s men had 11 first downs while the Chargers had 29.

For a man, who has always trusted his instinct, Kraft could yet be tempted to stay with his first choice that was long in his mind before Belichick retired. When he handed the role to Mayo in January, Kraft said,

“Look, Jerod learned a lot from Bill. They are each special individuals. I’ve gotten to know Jerod over the last 12, 15 years. You know, I picked him five years ago to be our next head coach.” 

Breer’s view seems to differ from that of The Athletic’s Diana Russini. She made the contrary claim on The Herd with Colin Cowherd show, saying that Robert Kraft may consider taking the tough call over Mayo, not only for the team’s sake but to help Jerod Maye realize his potential.

The clouds of doubt still shroud hid future of the Patriots. Notably, Belichick went 5-11 in his first season before a certain Tom Brady was picked by the Patriots in the sixth round of the NFL draft and their history would be changed forever. Perhaps, Mayo needs to find his Brady before it’s too late. He may already have one capable in Maye, but needs to find stability within the team.

Jerod Mayo might bench Drake Maye

One bright spot for the Patriots this year was their rookie QB Drake Maye. He showed resilience and strength even in the games they lost. But the HC is considering a tough decision ahead of the last game in the season against the Bills. When asked if the rookie would play against the Bills, the coach replied, “Everything is in consideration.”

During the week 17 loss against the Chargers, Maye suffered a head injury. And the team is waiting for an update on it. Also, they are already in the last place in the AFC conference. So the team doesn’t want to take any risk ahead of the 2025 offseason.

For the fans, it’s tough to see their team struggling. In the offseason, they would try to sign some better players or make better plans for the next year. That’s all they can do.