Why did Patriots fire Jerod Mayo? Exploring potential reasons for Robert Kraft's decision

Jerod Mayo was fired by the New England Patriots on Sunday, with his ouster coming just after he addressed the media regarding a 23-16 win against the Buffalo Bills in the season finale.

In a statement issued to the media, owner Robert Kraft called it "one of the hardest decisions I have ever made," given his familiarity with the accomplished former linebacker going back to when he was drafted 10th in 2008:

Not much was expected of the team in his first (and ultimately only) season as head coach, but the dismissal of a rookie will raise more questions than if he had been a veteran. So, what happened and why did the experiment fail?

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Why was Jerod Mayo fired by Patriots?

There are a couple of good reasons why the Patriots opted to ditch Mayo.

First is a potential loss of the locker room. According to Chad Graff, the team's beat writer for The Athletic, he had promised to be "player-friendly," the opposite of his predecessor, Bill Belichick, only to break that promise by calling his roster "soft" after a loss to the Jackonville Jaguars.

He also reportedly struggled to effectively handle the media, for instance when he criticized offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, only to go back on his comments. That's a noted contrast to Belichick, who despite (or possibly because of) his cold, seemingly unfeeling demeanor, was able to effectively convey his thoughts, giving iconic quotes like "We're off to Cincinnati."

Second is a lack of improvement within the roster. This season was the Patriots' first with a new potential franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, but during the preseason Mayo initially announced that he would sit and learn behind Jacoby Brissett.

Developing quarterbacks is a tough task, especially when they are rookies, which is why having them learn from the bench for their first year or even longer has historically been a good practice.

Aaron Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre in Green Bay until 2008, when he finally took the reins and began what has since become a very storied career. The same scenario manifested with Jordan Love, a 2020 first-round draft pick who had to wait until 2023 to be elevated. But he has been a revelation since then, leading the Packers to consecutive playoff appearances.

Even Patrick Mahomes did not start until he became a sophomore, spending his rookie season studying under Alex Smith.

But the difference with Brissett is that he is not as accomplished as those people mentioned above. And combined with a lack of credible offensive weapons, especially in the air, any upward movement would be hard to come by.

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What was Jerod Mayo's record as Patriots HC?

Jerod Mayo ends his tenure the same way as Bill Belichick ended his: 4-13, the worst record in Patriots history.

A season-opening win at the Cincinnati Bengals gave false hope of a new dawn, but six straight losses immediately ended that. They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 10 after a loss to the Indianapolis Colts and a Houston Texans win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.