3 Patriots Who Benefit the Most From Jerod Mayo's Firing

It took just one season for the Jerod Mayo era to end in New England.

The Patriots fired the first-year head coach immediately following Sunday's 23-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Even though no one expected Mayo to win a Super Bowl in Year 1, his dismissal was likely unavoidable after a 4-13 record forced the Patriots to miss the NFL playoffs for the third straight year.

Like Mayo, several players will also leave New England following disappointing 2024 performances. On the other hand, certain individuals who stick around might actually benefit from the 38-year-old HC's exit.

With that in mind, here are three Patriots who will benefit from Mayo's firing.

1. Ja'Lynn Polk, WR

Ja'Lynn Polk's rookie season didn't go the way the Patriots envisioned when they selected the promising wideout with the 2024 draft's 37th overall selection. The 22-year-old wideout oozed potential during his time at the University of Washington but failed to make a similar impact at the NFL level.

Outside of scoring two touchdowns, Polk struggled to generate any momentum this season. The Lufkin, TX native only mustered 87 receiving yards on 12 catches across 33 targets (36.4%) in 15 games despite playing 45% of offensive snaps.

If his performance wasn't grim enough, Polk his 43.1 offense and 45.4 receiving grades ranked dead-last among 125 eligible wide receivers on Pro Football Focus.

Even if his rookie campaign disappointed, Polk could turn things around now that Mayo is gone. The Washington product was quickly phased out of his coach's plans as the season went on, proven by his averaging 41.7 offensive snaps in his first seven games compared to an average of 18.0 in the final eight.

Limiting Polk's snap share meant he never had a real shot at breaking out of his funk. If he's to become a crucial part of the Patriots' attack going forward, New England's next HC must give the struggling pass-catcher as many chances as possible to reach his potential.