NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS first-year coach Jerod Mayo walked through the interview room door at Wembley Stadium as if he had just broken the huddle from his career as a playcalling linebacker. He looked exasperated as he took the podium and spoke from the heart.
“Look, what I’d say is we’re a soft football team across the board.”
Mayo’s team started its Week 7 trip to London in impressive fashion, opening a 10-0 first-quarter lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars. But then, the Patriots gave up the game’s next 25 points and lost their sixth straight game.
Mayo didn’t pound the dais in front of him. In fact, he hardly raised his voice. He matter-of-factly ripped his team.
Can’t run the ball. Can’t stop the run. Can’t cover kicks.
Some within the group of 20 or so reporters in the postgame interview room turned to one another as Mayo’s session ended. There was surprise at how direct and biting his critique was, something Patriots media had not seen much of in the prior 24 seasons.
For the first time in 25 years, the Patriots began a season without Bill Belichick as their head coach. Mayo was handpicked by owner Robert Kraft, who was drawn to the coach’s knack for connecting with a younger generation of players. The new era of Patriots football brought optimism in the offseason — buoyed by the drafting of first-round quarterback Drake Maye — that rolled into the NFL’s most shocking Week 1 victory since 2018 when New England upset the Cincinnati Bengals.
But turbulence followed with questionable coaching calls, erratic messaging in news conferences and poor performances. That has led to fans chanting “Fire Mayo” and an uncertainty surrounding the head coaching position.
After Mayo clarified his London remarks the next day to specify the Patriots were “playing soft” — which wasn’t the only time he has had to walk back comments over the course of his first year — the team responded by beating Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets the next week.
Players shared that Mayo delivered a similar message of softness in the Wembley visitors locker room before speaking to reporters. They said because they heard it from him first, it carried more weight than what he said in the postgame interview.
But winning consistently has proven elusive, sparking questions about Mayo and his staff, even as team sources acknowledge they usually didn’t match the opposition in talent — a result, in part, of inheriting a depleted roster.
It highlights a roller-coaster season for Mayo, who at 38 is the NFL’s second-youngest head coach behind Seattle’s Mike Macdonald.
“I knew this was going to be a challenging season,” Mayo said. “Obviously the expectations here are always high. Unfortunately, we just haven’t been able to meet those expectations. In saying that, I think the biggest problem with us as a team — and it starts with me — is just being consistent.”
AFTER THE PATRIOTS started the season with an unexpected road win against Cincinnati and a home-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime, the offense fell apart and Mayo was forced to make a change.
The turning point came in Week 5, when rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk leaped into the air to corral a touchdown pass from Jacoby Brissett. As Polk fell into the back of the end zone, a nearby official signaled a touchdown, and Gillette Stadium erupted. The Patriots took a 16-15 lead over the Miami Dolphins with a little over a minute to play.
But officials reviewed Polk’s touchdown catch and saw that while his right toe was in the end zone, his heel landed outside the field of play. No touchdown. And, ultimately, no victory over the Dolphins.
“One more inch and it’s different,” Brissett said, reflecting on that moment. “I don’t think words can describe how tough it is.”
A fourth straight defeat, an offense averaging 12.4 points and Brissett having absorbed 49 quarterback hits accelerated Mayo’s plans to turn to the team’s rookie QB.
“I think Drake now gives us the best chance to win,” Mayo said at the time.
Mayo has referred to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt as “the head coach of the offense” but insisted he made the decision on when to make a QB change. Mayo had initially targeted late October as the ideal timeline for Drake Maye to start, according to sources familiar with his thinking, even though he was tempted to accelerate things after Maye outperformed Brissett late in the preseason.
The idea was to give things time to evolve — particularly along the offensive line — hoping that Brissett would help keep them competitive before passing the torch.
Instead, Mayo turned to Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft, in Week 6 against the Houston Texans.
“When is it ever a perfect scenario?” a high-ranking team executive asked at a practice leading up to that game.
That same day, an assistant coach exclaimed: “We’re going to see what the kid’s got!”
Since Maye’s debut, the Patriots haven’t looked back at quarterback.
Maye, 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, has completed 66.7% of his passes (14th in NFL), with 15 touchdown passes (22nd) and 10 interceptions (tied for 18th), while adding 421 rushing yards (ranked eighth among QBs) and two rushing touchdowns in 12 games.
Maye’s 95 rushing yards against the Tennessee Titans in Week 9 were the third most by a quarterback in franchise history.
He enters the season finale against the Bills having thrown at least one touchdown pass in eight straight games, which is a Patriots rookie record. Maye’s three touchdown passes of 35 or more air yards are the most for a New England quarterback in a season since Tom Brady had three in 2009.
In the midst of a challenging season, Kraft pointed to Maye as a silver lining in London and said: “I promise you we’re building something special. How about that Drake Maye?”
MAYO’S INEXPERIENCE — five seasons as a Patriots defensive assistant before becoming a head coach — has shown this season. He has delivered conflicting messages to the media, and there have been times a more aggressive on-field approach might have benefitted the team — such as after one of Maye’s best moments.
The Patriots trailed the Titans 17-10 in Week 9. Maye stood in anticipation of a snap from center Ben Brown. There were four seconds left in the fourth quarter, and it was third-and-goal. Time for just one play.
After catching the snap, Maye dropped back to his 15-yard line. He patted the ball, surveying his options as the Titans rushed three, thus dropping eight into coverage.
“Nobody’s open!” Fox play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti said.
By this point, 11.82 seconds had passed, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. So, with two Titans defenders charging toward him and one ripping him to the ground, Maye heaved the ball to the opposite side of the end zone — remarkably into the arms of running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
“Oh my goodness! Maye with an absolute jewel of an effort!” Benetti exclaimed.
As Maye was helped off the ground by two offensive linemen, he raised both arms in the air.
The Patriots had sliced the Titans’ lead to 17-16 and had all the momentum. They could ride Maye’s hot hand and attempt a two-point conversion for the win or go for the extra point and the tie.
DRAKE MAYE! RHAMONDRE STEVENSON! @PATRIOTS TIE IT UP! pic.twitter.com/ThCEJxhA0b
— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
Maye unbuckled his chinstrap and jogged back to the sideline as Mayo elected for the PAT and overtime. The Patriots lost the coin toss, kicked off and surrendered a long drive that ended in a field goal. Then, Maye was intercepted to end the game.
“I’m always going to do what I think is best for the team,” Mayo said. “I think we can talk about analytics and all those things, which we do use those things. At the same time, there’s also a flow to the game. As a head coach, ultimately, the decision and the consequence is on me.”
The conservative decision to play for overtime instead of the win was one of multiple in-game decisions Mayo has made that was debatable. Electing for a 68-yard game-ending field goal instead of a Hail Mary at the end of a 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in early December was also notable, in part because a 68-yarder has never been made before.
“He’s getting valuable experience in situational football,” former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich said. “I don’t care who you are, or how long you’ve done it, until you are put in situations where they just pop up and you have to react to them, you’re going to have to go through the fire. … If he were to go through every situation, maybe he changes his mind on some of those decisions the next time around.”
Mayo — who has been more talkative with the media than his predecessor, Belichick — has also walked back multiple comments over the past year.
In January 2024, shortly after being hired, Mayo said in a radio interview that the Patriots were ready to “burn some cash” in free agency, a remark he later said was a “rookie mistake” while clarifying the team would spend wisely.
After a frustrating loss to the Arizona Cardinals last month, when the Patriots handed the ball off to running back Antonio Gibson on unsuccessful third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 plays, Mayo was asked whether using Maye as a rusher was ever a consideration.
“You said it. I didn’t,” he responded.
To some, it was interpreted as if Mayo was throwing shade at Van Pelt. Mayo clarified the next day, saying he wasn’t referencing Van Pelt and that it was a defensive response to a topic he didn’t want to address.
This past Sunday, Mayo said in a pregame radio interview that Gibson would start at running back in place of Stevenson after Stevenson fumbled a league-high seventh time the week prior — only to have Stevenson start the game. Pressed on what happened, Mayo called it a “coach’s decision.”
This offseason, Mayo said he plans to do “deep dives” on all aspects of his first year — including game management, everything relating to “structure and culture” and what happened in news conferences.
“Do I think I’ve done things right? Absolutely. Are there ways to improve? 1,000% Do I wish I would have done certain things differently? Yeah,” he said.
“I’m going to go somewhere where no one can find me — just by myself, no kids, no nothing — and just reflect on the season. I think it’s important not only for football players, but anyone to take those times and see what you can do better.”
THERE HAVE BEEN fleeting glimpses of what a winning team and culture might look like under Mayo’s leadership.
Not long after the Patriots’ most convincing result of the season — a 19-3 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Week 10 — Mayo let out a loud yell inside the team’s locker room. “Yeahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!”
Mayo then handed out the game balls.
He started with kicker Joey Slye, who was 4-for-4 on field goals. As Mayo delivered the football, he added that Slye’s wife, Brittaney, had just given birth to a baby girl, Palmer.
The room roared, and soon after, Mayo called up linebacker Jahlani Tavai.
Mayo told players that Tavai’s fiancée, Kalei, had also just given birth to a baby girl, Honua, and explained the meaning of the name — “earth in Hawaiian.” Mayo briefly looked down at a piece of paper in his left hand to confirm the name, saying he didn’t want to mispronounce it, and players then repeated it in joyous celebration.
When Mayo was named Patriots coach, he discussed the importance of showing players he cared for them before demanding from them — and perhaps at no other time during the season had that approach come to the forefront than that day in the visitors locker room at Soldier Field.
The Patriots haven’t won since, but players have stood by Mayo through the rocky times, saying they believe in him and his leadership style.
“It’s the new style coming in, what players need,” receiver DeMario Douglas said. “We need that energy, that young energy that has us feeling like we’d run through a brick wall for him. Despite the record, he had us ready to go and play the next game.”
Mayo put players through a challenging training camp, with some veterans noting it was tougher than what they had experienced in the final years under Belichick. Nonetheless, they were projected to win four games and entered Week 1 at Cincinnati as the NFL’s biggest underdog that week.
In the locker room after the first game, according to a video posted on the Patriots’ official website, Kraft told players: “No one outside this room believed this could happen. I’m spoiled now. I’m going to count on a lot more.”
Looking back, one high-ranking team official said the unexpected opening win shifted expectations when the roster was lacking enough talent to compete, putting more pressure on Mayo. Nonetheless, players have noted how Mayo stayed the course throughout in the locker room.
“I don’t think he shows his cards, and I love that,” receiver Kendrick Bourne said. “He doesn’t seem phased and he’s letting it take its time, because he knows he can’t rush it and it’s a process. He has to let young guys mature, manage veterans, know who’s going to be here [next year]. He’s learning as a first-year coach — not overthinking.”
Gibson, who said he felt a strong connection to Mayo from the day he signed as a free agent in March because of the way he welcomed his daughter Taylor in his office, took note of how Mayo managed players’ workloads.
The combination of a rigorous training camp and having the NFL’s latest bye week (Week 14) required adjustments.
“He’s been in our shoes before, so you can kind of see how our schedule went. Especially with our record, where a coach might not let up on you, I don’t think he did that,” Gibson said. “He understood where we were at, how our bodies were feeling at certain points of the season, and he definitely looked out for us from that standpoint.”
OPTIMISM WAS STILL prevalent on Aug. 18 when Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf addressed reporters for the first (and only) time since the team began training camp.
Wolf seemed surprised by the horde of media surrounding him on the edge of the team’s practice fields. He said something that ultimately didn’t manifest itself, which played a large role in a challenging season.
“We’re excited about our offensive line group,” Wolf said. “We’re still working to find that correct combination in there. I think we have the pieces in place to compete.”
It was a costly miscalculation.
Due to a combination of personnel missteps, injuries and poor performance, the Patriots started a different O-line combination in each of the first seven weeks of the season. They’ve had 10 different starting combinations entering their season finale.
“We’ve had obviously a hodgepodge of guys in there throughout the season,” first-year offensive line coach Scott Peters said.
For the second straight year, the Patriots rank last in the NFL in pass block win rate (50.8%), according to ESPN Analytics. They also rank last in run block win rate (67.6%).
Wolf made it a priority when he took over to “weaponize” the offense and provide infrastructure to support the development of a rookie quarterback, but he never delivered. That included taking unsuccessful big swings at free agent receiver Calvin Ridley (who signed in Tennessee) and trading for receiver Brandon Aiyuk (who stayed in San Francisco).
He selected two receivers in the draft, in the second (Polk) and fourth (Javon Baker) rounds, but neither has emerged.
Wolf double-dipped along the offensive line in the third (Caedan Wallace) and fourth (Layden Robinson) rounds, but there remains uncertainty about whether they’ll grow into starters. Fixing the offensive line will be a top priority again in the offseason.
“Talent-wise they need to redo the O-line and find five they can keep on the field,” former Patriot and current NBC analyst Devin McCourty said. “Young O-linemen getting reps this year should help them going forward.”
Another miscalculation has been the expectations for growth on defense, given Mayo’s background as a defensive player and assistant.
While the Patriots have been hit with key injuries to linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (season-ending torn pectoral muscle in Week 2) and defensive tackle Christian Barmore (limited to four games after being diagnosed with blood clots in July), the defense — led by first-year coordinator DeMarcus Covington — has regressed.
The unit ranks last in the NFL in quarterback contacts, according to ESPN Research, and slipped from seventh (36.3%) last season to 26th (43.5%) on third-down conversions. The Patriots’ 12 takeaways are tied for 30th in the NFL.
Entering last season’s finale, the Patriots had given up 349 points and 37 touchdowns. Entering this season’s final game, they’ve allowed 401 points and 45 touchdowns.
The red zone defense currently ranks 24th in touchdown percentage (61.8%) after finishing fifth last season (46.1%).
“We have some new coaches — learning how to do things their way,” veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said. “It’s still, basically on defense, the same stuff we did in the past, maybe add one or two new wrinkles. We just have to learn how to finish games.”
IF THE PATRIOTS lose to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Gillette Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS), they will pick No. 1 in the 2025 NFL draft for the first time since 1993. With an abundance of salary cap space and needs that also include receiver, defensive tackle and pass rusher, they are expected to be aggressive in free agency. “There is definitely a need for more talent,” Ninkovich said. “The offensive line struggled, and the depth isn’t ideal. … Defensively, they underperformed from where many thought they would be from last year to this year, and they could use a pass-rusher who gets to the quarterback. While they need more talent, I also think another year of learning will help the whole team, which includes Mayo.” Mayo has pointed to early growing pains experienced by other coaches, such as the Detroit Lions’ Dan Campbell, who began his first year 0-10-1 in 2021 and was 1-6 to start his second season. “It takes time. Look at those guys now, both from a roster and coaching perspective,” Mayo said of the Lions, who play for the NFC’s No. 1 seed this week. “From his first year to his second year to his third year — there was change and he got it nailed down.” Likewise, the Bengals’ Zac Taylor was 6-25-1 in his first two seasons (2019, 2020). One team source pointed to the patience Bengals ownership showed with Taylor for what could happen in New England, linking the promise that quarterback Joe Burrow brought to Cincinnati in 2020 to what Maye might do with more support and talent around him. “It hasn’t gone the way that any of us have wanted it to go,” Mayo said. “Steve Jobs had a quote where you have ‘winning years’ and then you have ‘character-building years.’ This has been one of those character-building years that I’ll always remember.”
