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The New England Patriots have fired head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season. The announcement came shortly after a win over the Buffalo Bills in the team’s regular season finale.
That win proved costly for the Patriots, who were vying for the top spot in the NFL Draft order. New England was officially eliminated from No. 1 pick contention on Sunday.
It’s been a season of struggles for Mayo, who took over for Bill Belichick in 2024. After winning the season opener, the Pats lost six straight contests. They picked up a pair of wins midway through the campaign but found themselves on another lengthy losing skid ahead of Sunday’s finale.
At 3-13, they controlled their own destiny in terms of their NFL Draft standing. A loss would’ve guaranteed the top pick. Jerod Mayo didn’t care!
New England bested a Buffalo team resting many of its starters for NFL postseason play. The Patriots erased a 16-14 second half deficit, scoring the final nine points of the contest.
With the 23-16 victory, the team improved to 4-13. That pushed them one game above the Browns, Giants, and Titans. New England fell from No. 1 to No. 4 in terms of draft order.
Mayo commented on the draft shuffle after the fact. He offered a response similar to Antonio Pierce and Brian Daboll, who also lost out on the top pick after picking up late wins.
“We always play to win.”
-Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo was fired immediately after the costly win.
Patriots parting ways with HC Jerod Mayo. (via @RapSheet, @TomPelissero , @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/FK9LnHAqDu
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025
The move was made shortly after the game’s conclusion. Many speculate that the Jets’ involvement with Mike Vrabel forced the Patriots’ hand.
Was told that Mike Vrabel’s dalliance w/ #Jets was to put pressure on #Patriots to make a move. With a young, incredibly promising QB (who improved every week despite very little talent around him), more cap space than anyone and stable ownership, of course the NE job ranks high.
As for Jerod Mayo, he often landed on the wrong side of criticisms due to a lack of success in his head coaching debut. He might’ve gotten more for finally picking up a win! It will be interesting to see where he ends up in the future.