The New England Patriots Part Ways with Coach Jerod Mayo After a Challenging Season

The New England Patriots have said their goodbyes to head coach Jerod Mayo. This decision came after a tough season where the team only managed to win three out of fourteen games. Mayo, who was previously the team's inside linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023, took over the head job last January. He replaced Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion. Owner Robert Kraft found this decision particularly tough. He admitted that the team's performance did not improve as he had hoped. The Patriots started strong with a win against the Cincinnati Bengals but then lost thirteen of their next fifteen games. They ended the season with a win against the Buffalo Bills, but this dropped them from the first draft pick to fourth.Mayo stirred things up early in the season when he called his team "soft. " He pointed out that they weren't able to run the ball, stop the run, or cover kicks. He also faced criticism for waiting until Week 6 to start rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Jacoby Brissett, who started the first five weeks, only threw two touchdown passes in eight games. Under Mayo, the Patriots struggled on both offense and defense. They averaged the third-lowest yards per game on offense and gave up the ninth-most on defense. Kraft apologized to the fans for the team's poor performance and promised to make changes to help them get back to championship contention.