Jerod Mayo

More On Jerod Mayo’s Firing: Succession Plan, Hiring Process, Stevenson Benching

January 9th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots’ succession plan for Bill Belichick clearly didn’t go as planned, as Jerod Mayo was let go after only one ugly season at the helm. However, there were cracks in the organization’s overall plan before Robert Kraft even named Mayo as his head coach.

[RELATED: Patriots Fire Jerod Mayo]

According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, Kraft’s literal succession timeline intended for Mayo to take over in 2025. When Kraft instituted his plan in 2023, he planned to give Belichick two more seasons (allowing the coach to break the all-time wins record) before Mayo would take over the gig.

That obviously didn’t come to fruition, as Belichick’s fractured relationship with the Patriots led to his ouster after that 2023 campaign. Before that, Belichick failed to mentor his successor like the organization expected (Graff notes that Belichick cut off communication with a number of coaches during his final season in New England). So, when Mayo was suddenly thrust into the HC role, he didn’t have the prerequisite mentorship that ownership had hoped for.

That could partly explain Mayo’s unusual approach to his head coaching role. The newly-named head coach first struggled to fill his coaching staff, although he curiously avoided one solution by offering incumbent defensive play-caller Steve Belichick a demotion (which the younger Belichick refused, leading to him taking a DC job at Washington). Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald report that some OC candidates were left unimpressed with Mayo’s approach during the interview process, leading to the team opting for their last interviewee in Alex Van Pelt.

Then, once the season began, Mayo reportedly struggled to discipline his players, and Graff passes along an anecdote where Mayo played cards with the players during a plane ride following a loss. Mayo also struggled with some of the seemingly simple tasks that are required from a head coach. For instance, The Boston Herald duo point to Rhamondre Stevenson‘s uncertain status in Week 17. Mayo intended to bench the RB for fumbling issues, and he communicated the lineup change to Van Pelt. The OC never relayed the message to running backs coach Taylor Embree, leading to Stevenson taking the field with the starting offense. Mayo later covered for his coordinator, but there were clear cracks in communication.

While Mayo has been the only Patriots leader to lose their job, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf has also drawn his fair share of criticism. The front office leader took some accountability for the team’s disappointing 2024 showing while admitting that some of the Patriots’ younger players didn’t develop as expected (specifically WRs Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker).

“I would say that I guess personally, what I was expecting is maybe a little bit more internal development, which is a good lesson certainly heading into next year. And that you can’t always rely on that,” Wolf said (via The Herald). “The rookie receivers didn’t have it really that much for us.”

Patriots To Retain Eliot Wolf, Front Office Staff

January 6th, 2025 at 6:09pm CST by Ben Levine

While the Patriots are set to revamp their coaching staff, it sounds like the front office will be staying intact. During his press conference today, owner Robert Kraft revealed that executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and his staff will be sticking around for the 2025 campaign (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). Wolf and top front office executive Alonzo Highsmith will also be involved in the team’s head coaching search (via Kyed).

As the Patriots navigated a post-Bill Belichick era, they chose Wolf as the leader of their new-look front office. The executive did have one major hit during his first year at the helm, with third-overall pick Drake Maye appearing to be a foundational piece. However, the front office drew criticism for the rest of their draft class, and Kraft acknowledged that the team needs stronger performances from rookie-contract players if they hope to return to contention.

“Our drafts have not been good for a while,” Kraft said (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com). “If you want to compete long term and be good in this league, you’ve got to have good drafts because those rookie contracts allow you to go out and get the people you need to surround people. It looks like we lucked out; we maybe have two quarterbacks. But I think we’ll hopefully see a big improvement this year.”

While the likes of Wolf and Highsmith are expected to keep their jobs, Albert Breer of SI.com expects there to still be significant changes to the front office operations. After Belichick was responsible for running so many aspects of the front office for years, the organization was left with an antiquated approach when the dust settled following the iconic coach’s ouster. Breer opines that the Krafts put the front office at a disadvantage by not providing the same resources as other NFL teams, with the writer suggesting that ownership could look to “add elements of analytics and sport science” to their operations.

While many of these subtle changes will take place behinds the scenes, the Patriots’ search for their next head coach will be very public. Ownership is expected to be heavily involved in the search, as are the aforementioned front office executives. Breer notes that the team isn’t expected to hire a search firm to assist in the process.

As we await word on the team’s interview process, we’ll starting to hear some details about Mayo’s sudden firing, with Tom E. Curran of NBCSports Boston noting that the final four games of the season played a significant role in the decision. Curran says the past month was “untenable,” and while the team didn’t initially anticipate moving on from their first-year head coach, the “disorganization became too much to take.”

Kraft himself told reporters that he went back and forth on the decision over the past month. Ultimately, the owner believed the squad showed regression throughout the 2024 campaign, with Kraft citing the season-opening win over the Bengals as the high point of the year. Kraft also revealed that Mayo didn’t know about his impending firing prior to the season finale; the head coach ended up guiding his squad to victory while also compromising the team’s chances at the first-overall pick (links via Kyed).

While a new head coach will presumably look to bring on their own staff, there’s still a chance a few key assistants stick around. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt didn’t get a whole lot of production from his unit in 2024, but the coach did earn praise for his handling of Maye’s development. If Van Pelt is ultimately canned by the Patriots, Breer believes the coach could land back in Cleveland, where he served as OC between 2020 and 2023.

Patriots Fire Jerod Mayo

January 5th, 2025 at 11:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots have acted quickly in making a coaching move. Jerod Mayo is out after one season at the helm, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The decision is now official.

“After the game today, I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025,” a statement from owner Robert Kraft reads in part. “For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. … When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach. … Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.

“I have given much thought and consideration as to what actions I can take to expedite our return to championship contention and determined this move was the best option at this time.”

The former All-Pro linebacker spent his entire eight-year career with the Patriots, and not long after hanging up his cleats he joined the team’s staff as linebackers coach. Mayo emerged as a staffer often mentioned as a potential heir apparent to Bill Belichick (as a coach, but not as a de facto general manager) and by the end of the latter’s tenure that arrangement was officially in place.

Once Belichick and Kraft parted ways last offseason, Mayo ascended to his first head coaching role at the college or NFL levels. This came due to a contract arrangement, rather than Mayo beating out competition for the job. Kraft clearly grew to regret passing on a true HC search. A year later, a Patriots HC search will be on tap.

Expectations were tempered given the state of the Patriots’ roster heading into the 2024 campaign. Questions were raised about the offensive line and skill positions, among others, but the decision to select quarterback Drake Maye made his development (once inserted into the starting lineup) a central priority. While the No. 3 pick has shown flashes, the team as a whole has not delivered consistent performances. New England entered Week 18 at or near the bottom of the league in several defensive categories, an underwhelming development given the team’s continuity from 2024 on that side of the ball.

As the Patriots’ losses piled up during the year, speculation increased with respect to Mayo’s job security. Last month, indications emerged suggesting Kraft would allow for at least one more season at the helm, but a disappointing late-season performance was named as a possibility which could sway the situation. Indeed, questions have grown louder in recent weeks, and Sunday’s result leaves the Patriots with a record of 4-13. With the pendulum having swung, the latest updates on the matter pointed to another coaching change being made on Kraft’s part this winter. That has now proven to be the path he has taken.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Mayo firing has not been matched with any dismissals in the front office at this point. No assistant coaches have been let go as of now, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated adds. That could of course change in the near future, but for now Eliot Wolf – in place as the Patriots’ top executive since May – is safe as he prepares to oversee the next phase of the team’s rebuild. That will include considerable cap resources and a premium Day 1 draft pick.

The Patriots’ win on Sunday cost them the top selection in April’s draft, but even that end-of-the-year outcome has proven insufficient for Mayo to be retained. The 38-year-old certainly has a long runway in terms of his coaching future, but in the wake of a poor first showing as a head coach it will likely take several years for him to receive his next opportunity in that capacity. Roles as a position coach or defensive coordinator could of course still await him in the future, though.

Kraft will now turn his attention to another head coaching search. Belichick was in place for 24 years, but his departure has now been followed by another after only one campaign. Mike Vrabel has been named as a candidate to watch, although that is the case for many other teams looking for a new coach. It will be interesting to see if another former Patriots player will be tapped for the gig, or if the team will ultimately move in another direction for 2025.

Patriots HC Jerod Mayo Likely To Be Fired?

January 5th, 2025 at 11:29am CST by Rory Parks

Just a few days ago, we heard that first-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was likely to keep his job for the 2025 season. After all, he was owner Robert Kraft’s hand-picked successor to Bill Belichick, and he inherited a team that was clearly in the early stages of a rebuild, so it would be reasonable to give him some time to learn the ropes as a bench boss and to grow into the role as the club continues to try to improve the roster.

However, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes that Mayo has a “weakening case” to be retained, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that “nerves are extremely frayed” among team staffers as they ponder Mayo’s Black Monday fate. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter also hears that there seems to have been a shift in organizational thinking over the last month (video link).

As such, Schefter believes that Mayo will be fired. He references fan anger and fan apathy in his report, and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald notes that Gillette Stadium was only half-full for the team’s 40-7 drubbing at the hands of the Chargers last week, with multiple “fire Mayo” chants breaking out in the stands late in the game.

Fan reactions are presumably not factors that will motivate Kraft to move on from Mayo, but the nature of the Los Angeles loss, in which the team was outclassed in every facet, certainly could. That defeat was the latest in a string of six consecutive losses, and even late-December reports suggesting that Mayo would be safe included the caveat that a “collapse” over the final three games of the season could change things. While the club did put up a valiant effort in a 24-21 loss to the Bills – the AFC’s No. 2 seed – in Week 16, it is hard to describe a six- or seven-game losing streak to close out a season as anything other than a collapse.

Additionally, in contrast to prior reports that the Patriots’ locker room remained united despite the difficult season, some players have told Kyed that the team suffers from a poor culture and lack of leadership. Such discontent, in conjunction with some of Mayo’s public actions that Jones and/or Kyed have classified as “gaffes” – starting Jacoby Brissett in Week 1 despite admitting that Drake Maye had outplayed Brissett in the preseason, seemingly slighting OC Alex Van Pelt in a postgame presser, and telling a pregame radio show that RB Antonio Gibson would start over Rhamondre Stevenson in Week 17 before making a “coach’s decision” to start Stevenson less than an hour later – could certainly spell trouble for Mayo.

Underscoring all of this, of course, is the presence of franchise icon Mike Vrabel, who is one of the two most coveted coaching candidates in this year’s cycle and who is all but certain to get a head coaching job in the near future. If New England wants Vrabel – and if it does, the interest appears mutual – then now would be the time to make the move.

If Mayo is retained, he is expected to add more veteran coaches to his staff, per Jones. Meanwhile, Jones suggests that executive VP of player personnel Eliot Wolf will be retained, and that he could make further changes to the club’s staff. That presumably includes firing Van Pelt.

Wolf will have the No. 1 overall pick at his disposal in the 2025 draft if the Patriots fall to Buffalo in today’s season finale, which would give the team a 3-14 record.

Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt On Hot Seat?

January 2nd, 2025 at 8:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Jerod Mayo is expected to make it to his second season as Patriots head coach, but it’s sounding like the same can’t be said for New England’s offensive coordinator. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Alex Van Pelt is considered a “potential one-and-done” with the Patriots.

Drake Maye‘s occasional flashes have been the only bright spot for the Patriots offense in 2024, with the unit ranking towards the bottom of the league in scoring and yardage. While Van Pelt has earned some praise for his work with the rookie QB, he’s also drawn plenty of criticism for his uninspiring play calling and a lack of development elsewhere on the roster.

In fact, team owner Robert Kraft and his son, team president Jonathan Kraft, were recently spotted criticizing the offensive play calling, a clear indication that the OC could be on the hot seat. At the very least, the Patriots are expected to make some changes to their offensive staff, per Fowler.

Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal shares a similar sentiment, writing that Van Pelt will likely be the organization’s “sacrificial lamb” following a dismal overall season. Giardi lauded the coordinator for his rare accountability during the 2024 campaign, and Van Pelt even acknowledged that he could be on the hot seat following a rough first season with the Patriots.

“This is a business. We all signed up for this. When we win three games, it’s tough,” he said. “The thing that I can hang my hat on is that this team played hard. There have not been any games where they have not put out their full effort. That’s impressive. It’s easy for a lot of teams, and I’ve been around teams that are out of the playoffs and kind of just cruise to the end. We’re going to try to finish strong.”

Van Pelt mostly made a name for himself as a QB coach, including a stint as Aaron Rodgers‘ coach in Green Bay between 2014 and 2017. The veteran coach had a four-year stint as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator, and he was a somewhat surprising casualty last year despite the Browns finishing top-10 in points scored. He subsequently caught on with Mayo’s new staff in New England, but there’s a chance he could be looking for a new gig for the second-straight offseason.

Patriots Still Expected To Retain Jerod Mayo; Mike Vrabel Interested In Job?

January 1st, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Vrabel‘s Browns consulting gig is over; the six-year Titans leader is a coaching free agent again. Interviews with any team carrying a vacancy can commence, giving Vrabel a potential head-start on his top competition.

Regardless of what other candidates generate serious momentum, it is expected Vrabel will land a job during this cycle. After being shut out in 2024, the former Coach of the Year is being tied to several teams.

The Raiders and Saints are among them, but other clubs being connected to the experienced HC as well. The Giants, who may or may not be ready to fire Brian Daboll, have come up as a potentially interested team as well. They employ ex-Vrabel coworker Ryan Cowden, who has been mentioned as someone who could be in play as a GM alongside the former Tennessee HC.

The Jets came up early in connection to Vrabel, with a mid-December report pegging him as the team’s preferred candidate. That may still be the case, but Vrabel looks to have his eyes on another job in the AFC East. The Patriots have struggled under Jerod Mayo, as expected. More news has pointed to Robert Kraft giving his handpicked Bill Belichick successor more time, but the team also runs the risk of missing out on Vrabel for good if it passes on reopening its coaching job. Keeping Mayo could be costly from that perspective, as Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline indicates Vrabel is indeed interested in the Pats’ job.

Mayo said this week (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss) he and Pats ownership are “still on the same page,” and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo note the expectation remains for the Pats to give Mayo a second season to further prove himself. But doubts have lingered about the team’s Belichick successor for a bit, and the trio published this report before the Patriots endured a 40-7 home loss to the Chargers.

While the team did play the high-powered Bills close in Buffalo in Week 16, the Bolts loss continued to put New England’s upcoming decision under the microscope. After all, Mayo landed this job without a coaching search taking place. Kraft inserted language in Mayo’s contract that effectively circumvented the Rooney Rule, which requires two external minorities be interviewed. No Pats search commenced, keeping a Vrabel partnership — one mentioned during the time when it looked more like the Titans would dangle their HC in trades — off the table.

Vrabel, of course, enjoyed a decorated career with the Patriots. The 2001 free agent signee helped secure three Super Bowl titles for the Patriots, operating as a regular at linebacker and moonlighting as a Tom Brady red zone option. Brady’s past with Vrabel is again relevant, with the Raiders on the radar. Vrabel may not be too interested in that job, either, per Pauline. The Raiders have gone through a few HCs in recent years, with Mark Davis presently paying three (Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce). Vrabel and McDaniels are close, and the coveted candidate may not be too keen on taking a job not long after the Raiders fired McDaniels.

The Jets job also is not believe to appeal to Vrabel, with Pauline pointing to a scenario in which the free agent HC uses the team as leverage. With rumors of Woody Johnson engulfing the Jets, they have their work cut out for them as they begin their HC and GM searches. The team’s lack of a long-term QB also would hurt compared to where the Patriots now are.

Las Vegas’ setup also does not feature a quarterback like the one New England has, with Drake Maye showing flashes during this down Patriots season. The Raiders’ past two wins have also dropped them out of the top five in the projected draft order. With one week to go, the Patriots hold the No. 1 overall pick. Mayo said sitting Maye — which would hinder the team’s hopes of winning in Week 18 — is on the table, but has since pointed to the rookie QB playing against the Bills.

A Buffalo team locked into the AFC’s No. 2 seed could throw a wrench in any New England hopes of obtaining the 2025 top pick, and Mayo coaching for a win to help ensure he returns will work against the Pats — through a long-term lens, at least — Sunday as well. The Vrabel matter will loom through that game or until Kraft confirms Mayo will return.

The Patriots keeping Mayo would prevent a Vrabel reunion, and that will bring scrutiny due to how the organization handled its 2024 HC search. Vrabel, 49, figures to have options, so the Patriots may need to be fairly certain — perhaps through backchannel communication — that Vrabel would strongly consider them in order to can Mayo. This fairly radical decision would also deem Kraft’s succession plan a failure, something that will undoubtedly come up as the team considers its HC future. Nevertheless, the next several days will be interesting in Foxborough.

Patriots Rumors: Staff, Stevenson, Brissett, Baker

December 25th, 2024 at 8:53am CST by Ely Allen

It’s been a rough season for the Patriots in Year 1 of the Jerod Mayo-era. At 3-12, New England is staring a 3-14 season squarely in the face with remaining games against the Bills and Chargers. The struggles have come at every level of the game: the offense ranks 30th in points and 29th in yards; the defense hasn’t fared much better, ranking 24th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed; and New England has turned in pedestrian numbers on special teams, as well.

When all phases of the game are points of weakness, and player development is becoming an issue, the finger tends to get pointed at the coaching staff. Mayo seemed to admit as much in a recent interview on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” on which he talked about a lot of “checklists…to go through” including “what players you want to keep around” and “what coaches you want to keep around.”

The obvious considerations that will need to be made are concerning offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, team owner Robert Kraft and his son, team president Jonathan Kraft, were seen in Week 15 seemingly criticizing the play-calling on offense. On defense, the Patriots have had few answers since losing linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley to a season-ending injury early in the year.

Another coach with obvious question marks is the son of the former head coach in New England, safeties coach Brian Belichick. Belichick’s father, Bill, has accepted the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina, and his brother, Steve, is planning to join him from the University of Washington. If Brian also leaves to join his father, that will open up one hole on the coaching staff.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of New England:

For the second time this season, it sounds like the Patriots will be considering benching starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson in favor of Antonio Gibson, per Kyed. Fumbles have become a big issue for Stevenson in his fourth year of NFL play. Over his first three seasons, Stevenson combined for seven fumbles with the team losing only three of them. This season alone, Stevenson has matched both numbers with three lost fumbles on seven total. Gibson has had plenty of issues with fumbles in the past, as well. In his four years in Washington, Gibson fumbled the ball 12 times with eight lost to the other team. In 2021 alone, he lost four fumbles on six total. This year, though, on 115 touches, Gibson has only fumbled twice with the Patriots recovering both of them. Gibson didn’t do much with his starting opportunities earlier in the season, but a message was surely sent to Stevenson about his ball-protection. With the season largely out of hand, it seems a message would be the purpose of this benching, as well.
The Patriots have seemingly already moved on from veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett in favor of rookie No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye. Luckily for the team, if New England wasn’t quite pleased with Brissett’s services as a backup or mentor to Maye, or at least is not eager to renew those services, they will have the opportunity to move on. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, when initially negotiating a contract with Brissett, the Patriots offered him a two-year deal. Brissett, reportedly, preferred a one-year contract, giving him the opportunity to see how the season played out. With Maye set as the starter for the foreseeable future, both sides will be able to explore other options as Brissett heads for free agency.
Rookie fourth-round receiver Javon Baker suffered a concussion in a car accident earlier in December, per Kyed. According to Mark Daniels of MassLive, Baker’s car was t-boned, and he ended up in the hospital. It was a scary incident for the 22-year-old, but he was cleared to practice and appeared in the team’s next game.

Patriots Likely To Retain HC Jerod Mayo

December 22nd, 2024 at 10:23am CST by Ben Levine

DECEMBER 22: In contrast to Breer’s report that “all bets are off” as far as Mayo’s job security is concerned, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirms that Kraft wants to keep Mayo and believes the first-year HC is the right long-term leader for the franchise (video link). Rapoport acknowledges that a collapse over the final three games of the season could change Kraft’s thinking, but otherwise Mayo appears to be safe.

Mayo attempted to do some damage control with respect to the perception that he publicly slighted Van Pelt, and per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, multiple veterans have privately offered support for Mayo. Those players note that the locker room remains united, and that the team has been more competitive than its 3-11 record would suggest.

In a public interview, veteran defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. said, “there’s a lot of coaches whose first year isn’t that good and they go on to do great things … [Mayo] always brings high energy, always does a good job coaching guys while critiquing them and motivating them at the same time. Yes, we want to have more wins. That’s obvious. But at the same time, what he is doing I think will work out in the future.”

DECEMBER 16: Jerod Mayo added another loss to his resume yesterday, leading to renewed talks of his job status heading into the offseason. Before yesterday’s ugly outing vs. the Cardinals, Dianna Russini of The Athletic deemed Mayo safe, noting that Robert Kraft has privately committed to the head coach beyond the 2024 campaign.

Russini adds that Kraft is willing to give Mayo the “time and resources” needed to “grow into the role,” a common sentiment among owners with unsuccessful first-year coaches. The team understood that Mayo would have a “steep learning curve,” and things would certainly operate differently after Bill Belichick ran the show for decades. Russini notes that the Patriots organization still believes in Mayo’s coaching prowess, although it sounds like team brass are still waiting for him to find his coaching identity.

A source shared similar sentiments to Josina Anderson, claiming that Mayo wouldn’t be one-and-done in New England. The source preached patience, pointing to Dan Campbell’s 4-19 start in Detroit. The Patriots still have a shot at finishing with the league’s worst record, and the team’s performance over the next few weeks could change the thinking around Mayo, but Anderson’s source was clear that there was “never any consideration” to firing the coach after only one season. Similarly, ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes that it would be a “surprise” if the team suddenly moved on from Mayo (along with executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf).

Riding a three-game losing streak into the bye, the week off seemed to temporarily quiet talks of Mayo’s job status. It only took one game for the hot seat to fire back up, with Albert Breer of SI.com saying today that “all bets are off” following yesterday’s debacle (via Yahoo’s Darren Hartwell). Mayo drew the scrutiny of pundits after seemingly throwing OC Alex Van Pelt under the bus, and those comments may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Breer points to former Titans coach Mike Vrabel as a potential option, noting that ownership may have to get bold if they want to take their “one shot” at the former Patriots star.

Mayo and his squad have shown only brief stretches of success this season. After winning the season opener, the team lost a tight overtime game to the Seahawks in Week 2 (although Mayo drew some criticism for his decision making in that loss). Then, between Week 8 and Week 10, the Patriots won two games and lost another in overtime. Otherwise, the Patriots have barely sniffed a win, and the team’s active four-game losing streak has been especially ugly. With two showdowns against the Bills looming, it could somehow get even uglier, and an embarrassing end to the season could also mark the end of Mayo’s short-lived tenure as Patriots head coach.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

NFL Coaching Rumors: Jacksonville, Smith, Mayo

December 13th, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The way the season is going in Jacksonville, it’s looking more and more likely that the Jaguars are going to have some new leadership in 2025. The consensus in league circles is that the team is highly likely to move on from head coach Doug Pederson. The question that seems to be trending lately for Jacksonville is whether or not general manager Trent Baalke will be soon to follow.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there has been increased speculation on whether or not Baalke will be sticking around to choose Pederson’s replacement, should he be fired as expected. Having already been eliminated from playoff contention with a 3-10 record while, at this point, competing for a top draft slot, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Pederson is out, but with Baalke, it’s not as sure a thing.

In an appearance on Herd with Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports’s Jordan Schultz claimed he doesn’t believe Baalke gets fired because he’s entrenched himself with team owner Shahid Khan and chief football strategy officer Tony Khan.

Here are a few other rumors from coaching circles in the NFL:

Arthur Smith‘s recent success jump-starting the career of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has put him back in the head coaching spotlight. The Steelers offensive coordinator may have to wait a little longer, though. Per Graziano, Smith is more likely to find his way back into head coaching races after the 2025 season than in the upcoming offseason.
Like the Jags, the Patriots are another team already eliminated from the post season and in the running for a top draft slot. That doesn’t appear to mean the same thing for New England’s head coach, though, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Jerod Mayo is only in his first year as Patriots head coach and as an NFL head coach in general. Team owner Robert Kraft was part of the decision to set Mayo up for a coach-in-waiting situation, so it’s hard to imagine that he’s lost the vision on that front this early.

Patriots Notes: Belichick, Barmore, OL Changes, QB, Osborn

October 23rd, 2024 at 6:20pm CST by Ben Levine

When the Patriots parted ways with Bill Belichick following the 2023 campaign, the divorce was described as an “amicable” and “mutual” decision. However, during a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club podcast, owner Robert Kraft made it pretty clear that it was his decision to move on from the iconic head coach.

“I kept him for 24 years,” Kraft said (via Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe). “I didn’t enjoy having to fire him, but I tried to do it – if you look at the press conference and how it happened, tried to do it in a classy way.”

“What he did for us was great. People need to adapt. People need to adapt and if they don’t, things can change. In life, it’s about getting good chemistry and trust and I feel that our record the last three or four years wasn’t what I wanted.”

Belichick generally drew much of the blame for the organization’s post-Tom Brady decline. The team didn’t bottom out right away; in fact, they won 10 games and made the postseason with a rookie Mac Jones during the 2021 campaign. However, following a 4-13 showing in 2023 (the team’s worst showing since 1992), Kraft decided to make Belichick the scapegoat and move on from the franchise stalwart.

With Belichick now hitting the media circuit, the former coach has generally been pretty reserved when discussing his former club. That changed this past week, when Belichick appeared on Jim Gray’s Let’s Go! podcast alongside Brady. The future Hall of Fame coach was especially critical of new head coach Jerod Mayo‘s assertion that his 1-6 squad was “soft,” and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald wonders if Belichick may be changing his tune following Kraft’s aforementioned quotes.

More notes out of New England…

After Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots in July, the Patriots had been bracing for a potential full-season absence for the starting defensive lineman. Fortunately, there may be some good news on that front, with Mayo telling reporters that the former second-round pick was “progressing” in his recovery (via Kyed). Mayo even admitted that he’s changed his stance on Barmore’s 2024 availability, with the head coach stating that the DT could end up seeing the field at some point this season.
Michael Onwenu started the season as the Patriots right tackle but has seen an uptick in playing time at right guard in recent weeks. Offensive line coach Scott
Peters said he hopes the change is permanent, although the former sixth-round pick’s position will continue to be dependent on his teammates’ availability (per ESPN’s Mike Reiss). The team is bracing for another position change on their OL, as former first-round guard Cole Strange could see snaps at center when he’s activated from PUP (via Kyed). The lineman has missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from a knee injury.
While the Patriots always seemed to hint that Drake Maye would eventually take over for veteran seat warmer Jacoby Brissett, the staff hastily made the change ahead of the team’s Week 6 contest. Brissett told reporters that he wasn’t told of the team’s definitive 2024 plans at the position (via Kyed), although he did seem to hint that he knew he’d eventually hit the bench for his rookie teammate. Brissett tossed a pair of touchdowns in his five starts, while Maye has already found the end zone five times in two starts.
Mayo admitted to reporters that offseason acquisition K.J. Osborn was likely frustrated with his role in New England, per Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal. The former Vikings draft pick led the position in snaps for the first four weeks of the season, but after returning in Week 7 following a two-game absence, the veteran found himself behind all of Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, and Ja’Lynn Polk (Osborn had two more snaps than fellow wideout Demario Douglas). In five games this season, Osborn has hauled in seven catches for 57 yards and one touchdown.

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