WATCH: Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez's hysterical reaction to Jerod Mayo's firing goes viral

The New England Patriots are moving on for greener pastures. After a single year of his leadership, the franchise decided to fire Jerod Mayo from the head coach job, ending a tenure that netted nothing more than a 4-13 record in 2024.

The announcement of his firing happened right after the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 18, a triumph that took the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft away from them. On Monday, players gathered to clean their lockers and depart the franchise for the offseason, and naturally, Mayo's firing was a hot topic of discussion.

Second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who emerged as one of the few bright points for the Patriots' 2024 season, spoke about his coach's firing. As he said nice things about Mayo, plenty of fans noticed how he couldn't stop smiling while discussing the subject.

He still managed to say a few good words about his former coach:

"I mean, I love Jerod. I loved playing with him, playing for him. I don't have, none of us have no say on that. So, I mean, they made a decision and we got to cherish the moments we had with him and, you know, hope the best for him and move on with the organization."

Why did the Patriots fire Jerod Mayo after a single season?

There were many blunders by the coach during his one-year tenure and it became unsustainable to keep him even as the team won the season-finale. His decision-making, his way of dealing with the press and the constant backtracking of his statements to the media wore out on ownership.

The Patriots did not even interview Mayo before hiring him. Due to a clause in his contract, he was automatically promoted to the job when Bill Belichick left the team. It was a continuation of the "Patriot Way" which gave six Super Bowls to New England, but worn out since Tom Brady left.

The former linebacker played for eight seasons with the team from 2008 to 2015, hence why he earned the confidence of owner Robert Kraft to take over the job without previous experience.