5 Patriots on the Chopping Block Next After Jerod Mayo's Firing

After Bill Belichick led the New England Patriots for 24 straight seasons through the conclusion of last year's campaign, the franchise will be moving onto their third head coach in as many seasons. Belichick's successor, Jerod Mayo, was fired by the Patriots on Sunday following a lone 4-13 season at the helm.

News regarding Mayo's firing broke soon after the team's regular season finale at Gillette Stadium and was confirmed shortly after in a statement from Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Mayo's parting gift? A 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in a glorified exhibition game that dropped New England's draft position from first overall to fourth overall.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was fired as well. Van Pelt had also only served a single season in his role.

Already, rumors have begun to swirl that New England's rush in dismissing Mayo could be at least in part due to the organization's pursuit of Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Vrabel, who interviewed with the rival New York Jets. Vrabel was most recently the head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018-2023 and served as a coaching and personnel consultant with the Cleveland Browns this season.

The franchise that was once regarded as the epitome of stability in not just the NFL – but all of professional sports – has decayed into instability resulting from two consecutive 4-13 seasons. Another offseason of questions lies ahead, and Mayo and Van Pelt are likely only the beginning of an impending overhaul at all levels of the organization. Following Sunday's firing of Mayo, here are five more Patriots on the chopping block.

5. Javon Baker

Javon Baker was taken with the 110th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of UCF as part of a dreadful draft day pick swap. After being drafted, the receiver promptly declared "Come to the stadium and bring y'all popcorn. That's all I can tell y'all. Bring your popcorn. I make people in wheelchairs stand up."

Baker's quote didn't quite hit as hard following a disastrous rookie season. He caught a pass for 12 yards in the third quarter on Sunday against Buffalo – his first and only catch of his entire rookie season. Baker finishes his rookie season with four targets for one reception and 12 yards.

Beyond being a complete non-factor on the field, Baker had several off-field distractions that included an incident following a traffic ticket and a curfew violation during the team's overseas trip to London.

The Patriots will undoubtedly be in the market for receiver help this offseason and explore upgrading that position group through the draft, free agency, and the trade market. Not doing so would be pure negligence on the part of the player personnel department. With Baker's nearly non-existent level of production and discipline concerns, he has his work cut out for him to remain in the fold going forward.

4. Jonathan Jones

If Sunday was Jonathan Jones' last game in a Patriots uniform, what a run it has been. Jones was signed as an undrafted rookie out of Auburn in 2016 and won two Super Bowls with New England. He has spent all nine years with the Patriots organization.

Now 31, Jones was considered a potential trade piece during this season's trade deadline to contenders and could be looking for a change of scenery as New England's win-loss record has withered. With two Super Bowl rings already on his resume, Jones could be looking for a third elsewhere as he enters free agency.

Jones had the highest cap hit of any Patriot in 2024, and with the team looking to continue their rebuild they may be understandably apprehensive about paying top dollar for a 31-year-old corner. Christian Gonzalez has established himself as one of the best corners in all of football, and the team will also be counting on Marcus Jones to continue to develop.

Jones has always been a consummate professional and is one of the last carryovers from the dynasty-era Patriots. If he does move on, he should hold his head high about his tenure in New England.

3. Jacoby Brissett

Jacoby Brissett's job on the 2024 New England Patriots was clear-cut. The veteran journeyman was expected to hold things down until rookie third overall pick Drake Maye was ready to take over the starting role. He did just that, starting New England's first five contests – including a Week 1 upset road win over the Cincinnati Bengals before Maye made his first career start in Week 6 vs. the Houston Texans.

Brissett had previously crossed paths with 2024 offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt with the Cleveland Browns and had familiarity with the Patriots as a third-round pick by the team in 2016. That familiarity likely helped New England to feel comfortable with him as their bridge to Maye.

Maye played well enough in 2024 for New England to feel comfortable tabbing him as their quarterback of the future, and rookie Joe Milton's play on Sunday likely didn't do Brissett any favors in terms of a potential role backing up Maye.

Milton certainly established that could hold a backup role (assuming that the Patriots don't attempt to capitalize on the sixth-rounder's performance via the trade market). Brissett has stated his confidence that he could still be a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. If he is intent on pursuing that goal, New England is not the place to do so.

Ultimately, it will likely be a "thank you for your service" type of situation for Jacoby Brissett as the veteran re-enters free agency. Brissett has already played for five different NFL franchises, a sixth could be in his future soon.

2. Eliot Wolf

When de facto GM Eliot Wolf was handed the player personnel reins last offseason, there was excitement and anticipation about potential upgrades to a talent-depleted roster. But as Wolf's offseason plan became apparent, his strategy was apparently to simply re-sign or extend "Belichick guys" and he failed to land any real impactful free agents or trade targets from outside of the building.

When it comes to the draft, Wolf's selection of quarterback Drake Maye is looking like the only positive takeaway at this point. If Patriots fans want to give Wolf credit for holding onto the third overall pick instead of trading down for a haul, then so be it.

However, Wolf took the best quarterback remaining on the board at the most important position in sports on a team desperate for a quarterback. Drafting Drake Maye wasn't exactly rocket science.

When the draft turned to the second round, Wolf made an ill-fated decision to trade down with the Los Angeles Chargers in a pick swap that resulted in the Chargers drafting Ladd McConkey while the Patriots selected Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Needless to say, that decision didn't quite pan out.

Heading into the offseason with a league-high $131.5 million in cap space and the fourth overall pick, the Patriots need to have the right man in charge to lead the rebuild. Based on his track record, it is hard to have faith that Eliot Wolf is the man for that job in New England, even if multiple sources have indicated that his job is safe.

1. DeMarcus Covington

When Bill Belichick – one of the greatest defensive football minds of all-time – departed New England last January, it felt reasonable to expect a regression from the Patriots defense. What was unexpected, however, was that New England's defensive unit would regress to the bottom third in the NFL in several major defensive categories.

New England dropped from sixth to 23rd in opponent yards per game, 14th to 25th in opponent points per game, and from 3rd to 25th in opponent rushing yards per game. The Patriots defensive unit also struggled to force turnovers – with only 12 takeaways this season. Only Jacksonville – who had nine – recorded fewer.

Following Jerod Mayo's hiring, Covington was elevated from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator. The 35-year-old joined the Patriots organization in 2017 as a coaching assistant, was promoted to outside linebackers coach in 2019, and served as the defensive line coach from 2020-23.

Since Covington was not lumped in with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt when Van Pelt was fired in the aftermath of Sunday's finale, his job is likely safe for the time being. However, his job security could likely only last until a new head coach is brought onboard.

When one NFL coach is fired, his coaching staff tends to follow suit. In all likelihood, the next Patriots head coach will be looking to implement his own staff in Foxborough, and Covington could have a tough time convincing his new boss to allow him to stay on staff – especially if the 2024 body of work is his interview.

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