Patriots Legend Condemns Jerod Mayo’s Unfair Treatment by Robert Kraft as Mike Vrabel Cleans House

When Jerod Mayo stepped in after Bill Belichick, it felt like the Patriots were handing the keys to a guy who’d been riding shotgun for years. Robert Kraft had already called him the “heir apparent” way back, and honestly, the writing was on the wall. They even rewrote his contract to keep him in the building. A former captain, players loved him. The vibe was: he gets us, he is us—let’s roll with that.

But yeah, year one was rocky. Like, real rocky. The team finished 4-13, and at one point, Mayo called his own squad “soft across the board”—then had to backtrack. He’d tell reporters one thing about free agency, then pivot the next week. Rookie coach mistakes, sure, but it snowballed. Still, he owned it every time. That’s what made it sting more for guys who believed in him. They saw the growing pains. They also saw the fight.

Enough reasons to fire him just after one season of his head-coaching tenure? You can say that. But before we move on to that, let’s talk about the Patriots’ legend, Deion Branch, who thinks otherwise. On Thursday, Branch appeared on the Up & Adams Show and was asked how Mayo looks back at his experience as the coach.

In response, Branch shared his thoughts, stating that Mayo didn’t get a fair shot. “Yeah, we haven’t spoken about that. And that’s the last thing I want to bring up because, as I said first, as I alluded to, I don’t think that Jerod got a fair shot,” Branch noted. A fair shot? Let’s get to the core of it. Mayo spent eight seasons in New England as a linebacker.

And a few years after hanging up his cleats, he returned to New England. But this time, as an inside linebacker’s coach. Fast forward to 2023, and Robert Kraft announced an unusual move. They signed a long-term deal with Mayo to keep him from interviewing for other teams’ defensive coordinator jobs. Now let’s be real—on paper, it sounds like a fair decision, considering the Patriots were looking for Belichick’s heir.

But did that work out in their favor? Absolutely not. Jerod Mayo became the kind of guy who completed his junior school, high school, and college in the same city. He never became a defensive coordinator. He lacked experience. By the time he completed five years as a linebackers coach, he was promoted to the head coaching role. The result? For starters, the team wrapped up their season with a 4-13.

To make it worse, the Patriots fell from a top-10 unit in 2023 to a 22nd-place finish in yards allowed per game in 2024. We’re talking these numbers under a guy with a defensive background. The offense struggled as well, with limited development beyond rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Receivers like Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker had the worst seasons by rookies.

“I wish that he probably would have had a little bit more time, but that’s the direction that Mr. Kraft and the organization decided to move, you know, to go in,” Branch continued. Well, if Robert Kraft had given more time to Jerod Mayo, then maybe, just maybe, the former head could do well.

But for the time being, it’s safe to say that if the Patriots had allowed Mayo to develop as a coordinator first, who knows, Mayo might have given different results. Cut to the present, and the Patriots have moved on from their assumed “heir apparent” of Belichick, and they’re in Mike Vrabel’s era.

Mike Vrabel is getting rid of everything to start fresh

A few years ago, if you had asked anyone about who the Patriots’ veterans returning to lead the franchise to yet another Super Bowl, literally everyone would have named Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Gronk, Julian Edelman, you name it. But fast forward to now, and the Patriots are in Mike Vrabel’s era, and suddenly, safety Kyle Dugger is the new veteran. Funny thing is that he arrived in New England in 2020.

“Yeah, they’ve been telling me,” Dugger said Tuesday with a smile. “It happened fast, I would say.” Safe to say that the newly appointed head coach is out there to rebuild the dynasty from scratch. At this point, the Patriots have 88 players on their roster. Out of which, 40 are new since mid-march, 26 rookies, and just 14 veterans, while Dugger is currently the most tenured Patriot. Long story short: literally everyone left the organization.

And if we talk about the leadership, the second-year quarterback, Drake Maye, will be stepping into a leadership role. Why? Well, five of the six captains from Week 1 are no longer with the team. We’re talking about Jacoby Brissett, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Deatrich Wise, David Andrews, and Joe Cardona. On the flip side, Mike Vrabel and Co. didn’t re-sign the two-time Super Bowl winner Jonathan Jones as well. One by one, everyone packed their bags and left New England.

And this isn’t about football—it’s more about the team’s culture. Vrabel is changing the entire vibe of the locker room. At the end of the day, we can just say that the past is history in New England, and it’s the dawn of the new era for the Patriots.

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