The New England Patriots have fired head coach Jerrod Mayo, the team announced Sunday. The Patriots finished 3-14 in his only season in charge.
Mayo served as the Patriots’ inside linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023. He was promoted to the head post last January, replacing six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick.
“For me personally, this was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made,” New England owner Robert Kraft said in a statement.
He later added: “Unfortunately, the team’s performance throughout the season did not improve as much as I had expected.”
The Patriots started the season with an upset victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, but lost 13 of their next 15 games. New England won the final game of the season against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but that victory came at a high cost, as the Patriots fell from the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft to the No. 4 pick.
Mayo made headlines earlier in the season when he labeled his roster “soft” after the team lost six straight games.
“We’re a soft football team overall,” Mayo said in October. “We talk about what makes a tough football team, and that’s being able to run the ball, being able to stop that run and being able to cover kicks. We don’t do any of those things. It was.”
Mayo was also criticized for waiting until Week 6 for rookie quarterback Drake Maye to start. Jacoby Brissett, who started the first five weeks of the season, threw just two touchdown passes in eight total games.
New England struggled on both sides of the ball under Coach Mayo. Entering Week 18, the Patriots were averaging the third-fewest yards per game on offense and the ninth-most yards on defense.
“We have many fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years, and for that we apologize,” Kraft said in a statement. “We have given due consideration and consideration to what actions we can take to quickly provide products that meet our customer’s needs.” He returned to championship contention and decided this move was the best option at this time. ”
