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The Patriots relived head coach Jerod Mayo of his duties after one season Sunday night. There are several reasons why Mayo was terminated. Here are the top five reasons why the Mayo Era was short lived and why Robert Kraft ultimately decided to fire him. 

1. Lack of development: The Patriots did not get better, plain and simple. Outside of Drake Maye, Christian Gonzalez and perhaps Layden Robinson, no other players made meaningful strides in 2024. It was a lost season from a developmental standpoint and it showed on the field. The team did not get better and quite frankly, neither did Mayo as a coach. Perhaps that more than anything led to him being fired. He did develop on the field in terms of situations and off the field in terms of managing the team. 

2. Media mismanagement: Mayo struggled with the media in his one year on the job. Right out of the gate, he said the team had “cash to burn” and predicted the team would win more than four games. He also botched questions regarding Maye’s development and his timeline to play. Mayo routinely misspoke and he threw offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt under the bus after the Cardinals game. Mayo decided to take a page out of Bill Belichick’s book the last two weeks and give short, curt responses to questions but that did not work either. His inability to deal with the media, especially as the season went on once again highlights his lack of development as a coach. 

3. No control of the locker room: The Patriots did not have many leaders outside of David Andrews, Deatrich Wise and Jonathan Jones. The lack of leadership was a real problem and players started spouting off, especially the last few weeks, Mayo could not reign them in. He was too much of a players coach in a sense and it hurt him. The Patriots went from being Fort Knox under Bill Belichick to player podcasts and players criticizing the fans for stating their displeasure during games.  Ultimately, Kraft saw that as more of a reflection of Mayo’s style and his inability to control the players and what they said. 

4. Deteriorating defense: Perhaps the biggest indictment of Mayo and his defensive staff is the deterioration of the defense. The defense went from a unit that the team could lean on to an undisciplined unit that became a liability. Defense was once a staple of the Patriot Way but under Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, they morphed into a fundamentally bad unit that was constantly out of position and bad in every facet of the game. 

5. Wasn’t ready: Mayo was not ready to be a head coach. He was put in a difficult situation. The roster lacked talent and he lacked the experience to navigate through the tough times. He only had five years of coaching experience and he had never been a coordinator. At the time he was hired, many people downplayed his lack of experience because he exhibited head coaching traits. In the end however, the lack of experience proved to be a hurdle Mayo could not overcome.