New Jerod Mayo Report Unearths Huge Flaw While as Patriots Coach

The New England Patriots have hit the NFL offseason running as they desperately seek out a new head coach.

Jerod Mayo's time with the franchise ended on Sunday after the Patriots finished the 2024 regular season with a putrid 4-13 record, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Although Mayo's run featured a few bright spots, the bad often outweighed the good and it reached a point where a divorce was the logical decision.

Since his firing, unfavorable reports have emerged about Mayo's disappointing head coaching debut. The latest, however, might be the most telling one yet.

Patriots News: Jerod Mayo Made Several Mistakes While in New England

According to The Athletic's Chad Graff, Mayo made several mistakes throughout his Patriots tenure that led to his eventual demise. For starters, the player-turned-coach didn't have a ton of help to call upon when things got rough.

"When Mayo needed mentorship because he wasn’t fully prepared for the gig, he didn’t have anyone to lean on," Graff wrote. "His network of other coaches was so small after only ever playing and working for (Bill) Belichick and the Patriots."

Mayo, 38, was drafted 10th overall by the Patriots in 2008. The former Tennessee Volunteer played all eight of his NFL seasons in a New England jersey before joining Belichick's staff as an inside linebackers coach ahead of the 2019 season.

With Belichick serving as his only employer both as a player and coach, it isn't shocking that the Hampton, VA native didn't have many people to turn to for advice. The "lack of connections" made it difficult for Mayo to fill out his coaching staff, according to Graff.

"Mayo’s Rolodex was tiny," he wrote. "He interviewed more than a dozen candidates for the offensive coordinator job before Alex Van Pelt finally accepted the role."

Even though Mayo was his own worst enemy at times, the disappointing season wasn't completely his fault. His "lack of connections meant he had to lean on" the Patriots' front office for help. As a result, New England entered the 2024 season with seven first-year coaches and coordinators, as well as "first-time front-office leader" Eliot Wolf.

"It’s not that any one of them was a bad hire individually," Graff penned. "But that all of them together led to too many people figuring out their jobs on the fly... Mayo was left without an experienced sounding board during the more difficult days of the season."

Whoever the Patriots decide will be their next head coach, they can't afford to repeat the same mistakes they did with Mayo. The 16th HC in franchise history must be someone who not only arrives with his own connections but is also someone the Pats will support better when the times get tough.

For now, it remains to be seen how long it'll take for the Patriots to announce Mayo's successor.

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