Former Patriots coach Jerod Mayo played cards with players on flight home after double-digit loss: report
The New England Patriots fired coach Jerod Mayo after just one season on Monday, and a report Wednesday revealed detailed details about his first year as an NFL head coach and what the lead-up to that decision looked like.
The Patriots closed out the season with a win over their AFC East rival, the Buffalo Bills, but that wasn’t enough for owner Robert Kraft to want to stay with Mayo.
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“After the game, I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025. For me, personally, it was one of the most difficult decisions I have made,” Kraft said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances during the season did not follow the upward trajectory that I had hoped.”
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Mayo developed in the Patriots’ system, first as a Super Bowl-winning player during his eight-year career and later as the linebackers coach under Bill Belichick. However, it seems that the “patriotic way” did not translate into his coaching style.
According to the report from Athletic, one incident that stood out to those close to the situation was the homecoming after a loss to the Arizona Cardinals last month.
The report claims that instead of reviewing film with the coaching staff, Mayo opted to play cards with the players.
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at State Farm Stadium on December 15, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
“But in a move that surprised some at the front of the plane after such a lopsided loss, according to a team source, Mayo, the team’s first-year head coach who was personally handpicked by owner Robert Kraft as his successor Bill Belichick, left his seat in the front section and returned to where some players had gathered to play cards, deciding to hang out there while his assistants watched film,” according to Chad Graff’s report.
PATRIOTS OWNER ROBERT KRAFT ASSIGNS BLAME AFTER JEROD MAYO’S FIRING: ‘THE WHOLE SITUATION IS ON ME’
“Look, there’s a lot of ways to do the job,” a source on the aircraft team told Graff. “Not that Jerod was definitely wrong. But I can’t say I’ve seen it before.”
Other sources added that Mayo’s attempt to differentiate himself from Belichick may have been his downfall.
“Mayo, they felt, tried too hard to be 180 degrees different from Belichick, then struggled to apply and maintain discipline after positioning himself as a player’s coach,” the report continued.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick blows the whistle during an NFL football practice, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
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As for Kraft, he took much of what led to Mayo’s problems.
“This whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod. Because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said during a news conference Tuesday. “I know he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time to take the job.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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