Earlier this week, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo was asked about his future and while he was dismissive of the questions being asked, the reality is, he should be on the hot seat. He has one of only 32 jobs in the world. Being an NFL head coach. Holding onto the job comes to down to winning. The Patriots are 3-11. He should feel some heat.
No rationale football fan or member of the media had high expectations for the Patriots. We all knew going into this season that it was going to be a bridge year. It is more about 2025 and beyond. Despite that, the goal was to be competitive this season. While the Patriots have been competitive at times, they have also been undisciplined and poorly coached at times.
Speculation has been rampant this week regarding Mayo’s future and if he will be coaching the team. According to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, the Kraft Family plans on bringing back Mayo. Subsequent reports indicate however that a rough finish however could put his job status in jeopardy.
Mayo briefly addressed the report and his future.
“I’m not sure where that story came from. Look, I have multiple conversations on a daily basis with ownership, and they’ve always been supportive.”
When Mayo was asked if he was assured that he will be the coach next season, he doubled down and said his focus is on the Bills and not speculation about his job status.
“No, again, for me this week, my focus is on this game, the Bills here, today. Things that happen at the end of the season, I can’t control those things, so it’s all about the Bills.”
When asked if he cared to “squash” the rumors regarding his job status, Mayo was clearly agitated by the question regarding his job status being reiterated.
“Well, I’m not trying to squash anything. I’m trying to let you know where my focus is, and it’s on the Bills. I understand the question.”
It is understandable that Mayo may be annoyed answering all of these questions about his job security but the team’s performance and his mishandling of the media have put him squarely under the microscope. It is understandable that he is a rookie head coach and that there were going to be growing pains but Mayo hasn’t developed enough as a coach and it reflects in the performance of the team.
The hope is that he shows some development as a coach in these final three games but given that the Patriots are playing the Bills, Chargers and the Bills again, it is highly unlikely that we will see anything different than we have already seen this season.
Despite the speculation, it would be a surprise if the Krafts moved on from Mayo. He will get a second year and the Patriots will need to show improvement or else.
The Krafts do not like to look bad. When Robert Kraft hired Mayo in January, he told us he had a gut instinct that Mayo was the right guy. Well, Mayo needs to prove Kraft right or Kraft’s gut instinct will have cost the Patriots two seasons potentially.
It is why Mayo will ultimately get another year. Kraft does not want to look like he was wrong. If he fires Mayo after this season, he will look like a fool.