The New England Patriots didn’t take long to make Jerod Mayo the first coach fired at the end of the 2024 season.
Mayo was officially fired less than an hour after the Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills in Sunday’s regular season finale. However, the win was more difficult than any of Mayo’s losses throughout the 4-13 season, which was his first year as head coach. New England lost to No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft because of the win, he fell three spots in the draft.
Still, it was reported multiple times during the season that team owner Robert Kraft might keep Mayo, before the Patriots went on a six-game losing streak before Week 18.
NFL on FOX analyst Rob Gronkowski, who was Mayo’s teammate with the Patriots for several seasons, was among those caught off guard by Sunday’s announcement.
“I was surprised by that, no doubt,” Gronkowski said during the NFL’s FOX halftime show. “Rookie coach – the lineup he was given wasn’t that bright. It’s tough. It’s a tough situation in New England.”
At Gronkowski’s point, the Patriots went 4-13 last season under Bill Belichick and didn’t make many significant changes to their roster. They drafted Drake Maye with the third overall pick, but their only notable free agent additions were depth pieces. They also had a lot of cap space, using it to re-sign players who were part of their 2023 squad.
Fellow NFL on FOX analyst Michael Strahan thought Mayo was given too short a leash.
“A guy, a first-year coach, a first-year quarterback — c’mon, give the guy a chance,” Strahan said.
Shortly after Mayo’s firing on Sunday, reports surfaced that Patriots Hall of Famer and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel would be the frontrunner for the role. Gronkowski sees who his former team wants to hire.
“Obviously, Mr. Kraft didn’t see that Jerod Mayo was the culture builder that he hoped he would be going through that last season,” Gronkowski said. “Obviously, Mr. Kraft has a plan going forward as well. He’s probably hoping to get Mike Vrabel. There are rumblings that Josh McDaniels might be back, too, as offensive coordinator.”
Vrabel, who won three Super Bowl titles with the Patriots as a player, is one of the top names on the coaching market this offseason. He helped the Titans make the postseason four times in his six seasons at Tennessee, going 54-45 before his firing at the end of the 2023 season.
The New York Jets have already interviewed Vrabel, meeting with him for several hours on Friday.
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