"They haven't called me and asked": Bill Belichick throws shade at Patriots owner Robert Kraft over failed Jerod Mayo decision

Legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick has subtly distanced himself from the decision-making surrounding Jerod Mayo's failed head coaching tenure with the New England Patriots.

Speaking candidly on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday, Belichick said that he had no part in the controversial hire and that Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his inner circle operated independently.

In the wake of Mayo’s turbulent one-year stint that ended Sunday, Bill Belichick said:

“You know, the Patriots situation — I mean, honestly, I don't have too much of a comment on that. Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft, Robin Glazer — they're the decision-makers there, who exactly does what and so forth.

"Mayo was handpicked by Robert, but in the end, the decision-making is something that they'd have to comment on and identify. You know, they're the ones that are really making the calls there, and so it’s, you know, they’re the ones that comment on that.

"I really don't know from the outside looking in. They haven’t called me, and so I don’t know."

Jerod Mayo, in the Patriots’ coaching pipeline as an inside linebackers coach from 2019-23, was handpicked by Kraft to succeed Belichick. However, Mayo's tenure quickly faltered and the season ended with a 4-13 record.

Now, the abrupt firing of Mayo has made his reign one of the shortest in franchise history, similar to the ill-fated Rod Rust era in 1990.

Bill Belichick's ex-employer, Robert Kraft opens up about firing Jerod Mayo

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft got emotional while talking about Jerod Mayo's departure on Monday. He described it as "one of the hardest decisions" of his tenure.

Mayo was a Patriots captain and linebackers coach under Bill Belichick. Therefore, Kraft hand-picked Mayo. Winning the season-opener in Cincinnati seemed to validate Kraft’s choice. However, the optimism was short-lived.

The Patriots stumbled through the season. They finished 4-13, which is their worst record since 1990.

Kraft acknowledged the difficulties:

“When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team's performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”

The Patriots are searching for their next head coach. Among the potential candidates is Mike Vrabel, who is a former Patriots LB and proven leader with the Tennessee Titans.

Looking back, Bill Belichick's time with the New England Patriots set the gold standard for NFL success, with six Super Bowl victories and an NFL-record 31 postseason wins. Moreover, his coaching philosophy became the envy of the league.