Patriots fans fume after losing No. 1 pick of 2025 NFL draft with Week 18 win - "Unbelievably braindead," "Fire Jerod Mayo"

The New England Patriots have done it: They defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-16 on Sunday to match their 4-13 record from 2023. Sixth-round rookie quarterback Joe Milton III had a commanding debut, completing 22 of his 29 attempts for 241 yards and a touchdown to Kayshon Boutte.

However, fans are not happy with what the result means for the future of the franchise: It cost them the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, which went to the Tennessee Titans after their 23-14 loss at the Houston Texans. And many let their anger at the circumstances be known.

More of the anger can be seen below.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING??" one raged.

"We need new ownership," another demanded.

"I'm taking a long break from this team," another vowed.

The 2025 draft class is not particularly known to be rich in quarterback talent, with Shedeur Sanders being one of only a few prominent names. However, it also boasts prominent talents at other positions, like wide receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Luther Burden III, either of whom could give Drake Maye a young but credible top-tier passing threat; and

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HC Jerod Mayo, players react to Patriots winning season finale

After the game, head coach Jerod Mayo was the first to take the stand. He began by praising his players:

"Just proud of the way they came out and competed today… They’re just in the locker room, pretty emotional. But at the same time, these guys have been turning the page, ignoring the noise, and just coming to work every day. And I’m very appreciative of that."

Later, the topic of losing the no. 1 overall pick with the win came up during the press conference. But he shrugged off the implications:

“I’ve said this over the last couple of weeks, as a player, as a coach, we always want to go out there and win.”

Also briefed about the draft was cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who also said he was not worried about the Draft upon taking the stand.

Next up was center Cole Strange, who discussed Joe Milton’s impressive performance:

"It was awesome. I think he played really good."

Speaking of MIlton, he called his performance “just a regular day”.

The last to speak was running back Antonio Gibson, who was also asked about the Draft situation. According to him, the team had one goal in mind: finish the season strongly, which they did.

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UPDATE: Jerod Mayo has been fired by the Patriots after the press conference.