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5 Patriots on the Hot Seat Entering Second Half of Season

These five New England Patriots are facing increased pressure as their seats heat up during the 2024 NFL season's second half.

By Devon Platana

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo calls a play against the New York Jets during the second half at Gillette Stadium.
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo calls a play against the New York Jets during the second half at Gillette Stadium. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots are entering the second half of the 2024 NFL season intending to end the remaining schedule on a high note. It's been a rough campaign to date, as the Patriots head into Week 11's match against the LA Rams with an AFC East-worst 3-7 record.

While the current season is a write-off at best, the Patriots can rest easy knowing that they have certain individuals capable of helping the franchise return to respectability. At the same time, there are various Pats who must step up down the stretch if they want to be a part of any future success New England will experience in 2025 and beyond.

Let's check out five Patriots who are on the hot seat heading into the second half of the season.

1. Jerod Mayo, HC

Even though he's only in his first season behind an NFL bench, Jerod Mayo finds himself on the hot seat at the moment.

After spending his entire eight-year playing career with the franchise, Mayo joined the Patriots as an inside linebackers coach ahead of the 2019 season. The Hampton, VA native went on to spend five years in that row before being promoted to head coach after Bill Belichick parted ways with the team earlier this year.

Mayo had big shoes to fill in Belichick's absence. Unfortunately, he hasn't done an encouraging job thus far. As previously mentioned, the Patriots are the worst team in the division and are on track to miss the NFL playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth time since 2020.

It'd be one thing if the Patriots showed promise on the gridiron but that hasn't been the case on either side of the ball. New England's 16.0 points per game average is second-worst to the New York Giants (15.6 PPG), while their minus-6.0 average scoring margin ranks ninth-worst in the league.

That's without mentioning how things haven't been perfect off the field. Patriots insider Doug Kyed reported in October that there were rumblings of escalating tension between the team's players and coaching staff. If Mayo can't contain things and the situation worsens, upper management will be more inclined to give him the axe sooner rather than later.

Unless the Patriots look like a completely different team soon, Belichick's successor might be a one-and-done.

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