In losing Sunday’s game against the Bills, probably the finest team in football, Jerod Mayo won the war. He’s not moving, as far as I can tell. For 2025, and even beyond. Remember, Mayo’s future does not depend on winning this season, despite his enraged fan base and skeptical parts of the Patriots’ media. It doesn’t matter what you desire or what I think.
It’s about the Krafts, who choose Mayo to succeed Bill Belichick four and a half years before he did, believing in him and finding reasons to keep that faith. Sunday provided plenty evidence for those who wish to believe.
The Patriots led at halftime, but lost by three as 14-point underdogs. They were the first club since mid-October to keep the Bills under 30 points. Drake Maye outplayed the next MVP of the league for the most of the game, taking another step toward his destiny as a franchise quarterback. That sounds like a low bar, and it is.
Such is life in the first year of a rebuild, a multi-year process that ownership has committed to seeing through to completion, with their organizational pillars in place: Mayo, Maye, and de facto GM Eliot Wolf. As depressing as this 3-12 season has been, there are always glimmers of hope amid the rubble of a losing season, especially if you look for them. The Krafts do, as does Maye, who, by the way, loves his head coach and dismisses concerns about Mayo’s job security as “BS.” “We’ve got his back,” Maye remarked after the game.
Maye’s voice matters. Certainly more than any number of supporters or media personnel. Since media talk that Mayo may be fired at the end of his first season began, the proviso has always been the same: if, in a Gillette Stadium-sized “if,” the Patriots bomb atomically down the stretch, ownership may pull the plug on Mayo.
Ian Rapoport, an NFL Network insider, joined the chorus on Sunday with this pregame report: “The Krafts want to keep Jerod Mayo,” he told me. “They feel he is the organization’s future leader, and they anticipated that getting this right would take several years. Now, if things go wrong, if they truly struggle and he loses control of the locker room in the final few games of the season, we’ve seen this thing shift. “But as of now, the Patriots believe Jerod Mayo is their leader for the future.” Well, Mayo has not lost the locker room. That is a fact.
Patriots players believe in their head coach, both publicly and privately, according to those I’ve spoken with. Mayo may be a players’ coach, both in the best and worst meanings. However, the Patriots were just a few plays away from pulling off their biggest upset since Super Bowl XXXVI on Sunday. “I think we’re building something good,” Maye added.
The Patriots also had their greatest half of football this season against their most difficult opponent yet. Another fact. I sympathize with those who are frustrated. I realize how astonished you are. But for the trigger-happy, lay down your arms. Mayo, by all indications, will return in 2025. Alex Van Pelt, however, is a different tale.
In the same way that the Krafts could have seen Sunday’s performance as a cause to save Mayo, despite his poor punt at midfield with only eight and a half minutes left, they could have convinced themselves that their offensive coordinator is the true issue. After all, team president Jonathan Kraft was openly frustrated with Van Pelt’s play-calling during the Patriots’ loss to Arizona a week prior. Four days later, Van Pelt informed reporters that he had yet to hear from his employer. Well, that time may be approaching.
About The Author
