The New England Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo on Sunday night, only one season on from selling him as their successor to the good Invoice Belichick.
Mayo’s dismissal got here after New England’s 23-16 victory over the Buffalo Payments on the ultimate day of the common season, with the Patriots ending 4-13 of their third straight shedding marketing campaign.
“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,” proprietor Robert Kraft stated in a press release.
“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 teaching employees, his management was much more evident, as I noticed how the gamers responded to him.
“When different groups began requesting to interview him, I feared I might lose him and dedicated to creating him our subsequent head coach. Successful our season-opener on the street at Cincinnati solely strengthened my convictions.
“Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”
Mayo beforehand spent eight seasons with the Patriots as a participant, throughout which he received the Tremendous Bowl through the 2014 season.
He finally returned in 2019 to hitch up with Belichick’s employees as inside linebackers coach, asserting himself as one of many extra highly-regarded defensive minds in soccer.
His reputation noticed him emerge as a number one candidate to take over from Belichick when and if his time in Foxboro got here to an finish. That second arrived on the again of a 4-13 document in 2023 because the Patriots moved on from Belichick after six victories from 9 Tremendous Bowl victories and 24 seasons in cost.
On the age of 37, he started the season because the second-youngest head coach within the NFL behind Seattle’s Mike Macdonald.
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Highlights of the conflict between the Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots in Week 17 of the NFL.
“I am grateful for Jerod’s many contributions to the New England Patriots throughout his career and will always be rooting for his success,” added Kraft.
“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.”
A gruelling season did embrace encouraging indicators from rookie quarterback Drake Maye, whose performances ought to permit the Patriots to prioritise different positions within the NFL Draft, ought to they need.
New England started the marketing campaign with victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, earlier than shedding six straight together with a defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London after which Mayo divided critics by suggesting his crew performed “soft”.
The Patriots responded with two wins of their subsequent three towards the New York Jets and Chicago Bears both facet of an extra time loss to the Tennessee Titans, earlier than struggling one other six-game skid together with a 40-7 blowout defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers on the finish of December.
Mayo’s exit comes at a time when Mike Vrabel’s identify has re-entered the pool of head teaching candidates across the league, the previous Tennessee Titans head coach having received three Tremendous Bowls throughout his time as a participant in New England.
