Robert Kraft: Why I made painful decision to fire Jerod Mayo

Robert Kraft: Why I made painful decision to fire Jerod Mayo

Robert Kraft is putting Jerod Mayo’s failed Patriots tenure on himself.

In the hours following Jerod Mayo’s firing after just one year on the job, Kraft addressed the swift coaching change on Monday, calling the move “one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do in my life.”

“This whole situation is on me,” Kraft, 83, said in his opening remarks to the media. “I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation. I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league, he just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships.”

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was fired in January 2025 after one season at the helm. Getty Images

Mayo, named Bill Belichick’s successor a year ago, was fired on Sunday after the Patriots’ 23-16 win over the Bills in the regular-season finale.

The former Patriots linebacker, 38, posted a 4-13 record as head coach.

Kraft added Monday he “went back and forth” on the situation over the past month.

“I guess the main thing for me is I felt we regressed,” said Kraft, whose Patriots rode a six-game losing skid entering Sunday.

Jerod Mayo, here with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, was hired in January 2024. Getty Images
Robert Kraft spoke about Jerod Mayo’s firing to the media on Jan. 6, 2025. AP

“… I don’t like losing the way we lost,” he later added. “Things were not developing the way we would have liked and it was time to move on.”

Upon telling Mayo the team wanted to go in a different direction, Kraft said he “was a gentleman and accepted it that way.”

“It was one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do in my life cause I had such affection for him, and I believe in him, and I really do believe he will go on as he gets more experience to be successful,” Kraft shared.

Quarterback Drake Maye is one of the intriguing factors of the Patriots’ opening. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Mayo played for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015. He began his coaching career in New England four years later, serving as the inside linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023 before being elevated to the top job.

The Patriots are one of the five current head coaching vacancies.

The Jets, Bears and Saints dismissed their coaches midseason while the Jaguars fired Doug Pederson on Monday morning after three years.

New England is one of the more intriguing openings with a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye, roughly $131 million in cap space entering free agency and the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Related Posts

BREAKING NEWSTaylor Swift makes stunning return to the stage at concert hosted by Travis Kelce in Nashville

BREAKING NEWSTaylor Swift makes stunning return to the stage at concert hosted by Travis Kelce in Nashville

Taylor Swift made a sensational return to the stage for the first time since the end of her Eras Tour at a special concert hosted by Travis…

Caleb Williams spotted with stunning Hollywood star Madelyn Cline amid childhood sweetheart split rumors

Caleb Williams spotted with stunning Hollywood star Madelyn Cline amid childhood sweetheart split rumors

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been making the most of his offseason, even amid rumors he has split with his childhood sweetheart. The NFL star, 23,…

Taylor Swift caught revealing what she really thinks about Travis Kelce’s mom Donna

Taylor Swift caught revealing what she really thinks about Travis Kelce’s mom Donna

A new clip from Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s night out in Nashville appears to show the singer discussing how fond she is of the Chiefs star’s…

Travis Kelce blows NFL fans away as a coach at ‘тιԍнт End University’ after Taylor Swift joined him in Nashville

Travis Kelce blows NFL fans away as a coach at ‘тιԍнт End University’ after Taylor Swift joined him in Nashville

Travis Kelce got down to work on Tuesday afternoon at his ‘тιԍнт End University’ in Nashville and quickly showed that if he wants a coaching career after…

NFL insider Jordan Schultz leaves Fox Sports in shock career move

NFL insider Jordan Schultz leaves Fox Sports in shock career move

Fox Sports have parted ways with NFL insider Jordan Schultz after only one season, it has emerged. Schultz, the son of billionaire ex-Starbucks CEO mogul Howard Schultz,…

Taylor Swift’s ‘epic’ pH๏τobomb in Travis Kelce picture goes viral after couple’s surprise trip to Nashville

Taylor Swift’s ‘epic’ pH๏τobomb in Travis Kelce picture goes viral after couple’s surprise trip to Nashville

After Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce popped up at a Nashville bar on Monday night, an ‘epic’ pH๏τobomb from the 14-time Grammy Award winner has gone viral…