Jerod Mayo Stunned Top Patriots Staffers With Behavior After Troubling Loss

Despite winning their last game of the regular season against the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots shockingly parted ways with head coach Jerod Mayo after one season. 

The decision to move on from Mayo after one season was shocking, given that the Pats weren’t looking to compete this season and they had a rookie quarterback. However, Mayo’s first time as a head coach had a lot of ups and downs that were put under the microscope and scrutinized by the fans and media.

The Patriots had a few competitive games this season but had other games where they were outclassed on the field and the scoreboard. 

In fact, after one of New England’s losses this season, the first-time head coach did something unusual on the flight home, which caught the attention of other staff members. 

According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, Mayo left his seat near the front of the plane and went towards the back to hang out where some players were playing cards. At the same time, his assistants were watching film.

According to a team source, Graff wrote that the move surprised some at the front of the plane as coaches and execs sat up front. Mayo’s decision to sit with the players after a hard-fought loss caught at least one person in the front by surprise.

"Look, there are a lot of ways to do the job," a team source who was on the plane said via Graff. "It’s not that Jerod’s was definitely wrong. But I can’t say I’ve seen that before."

Based on how the 2024 campaign played out in New England, it's not a shock to see this type of story leak out about Mayo. The first-time head coach had some slip-ups in the media in his short tenure that frustrated the fan base.

However, New England’s brass aka Robert Kraft should’ve understood that this wouldn’t be a perfect season. With Mayo becoming a coach for the first time, there would be growing pains for better or worse.

That said, New England likely thought Mayo would improve throughout the season, but it never happened. Now, we will see what direction the Patriots will go at head coach as they try to figure out who can turn this franchise around.

More Patriots news and analysis: