Year 1 of the Jerod Mayo Era has gone quite poorly in New England -- to the point where some are wondering if there will be a Year 2 for the Patriots head coach.
During his weekly appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Monday morning, Mayo was asked if Patriots owner Robert Kraft has told him he'll be back for the 2025 season. Here was Mayo's response:
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"My main focus has just been really getting the team ready to play this week.
"I’m not going to get into all of that stuff. Look, here I go again dancing a little bit, but my focus is on the guys in this room, the coaches on this staff and winning this game that we have coming up."
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The fact that Mayo didn't give a definitive answer likely will increase speculation about his job security entering the offseason. His Patriots exit the bye week 3-10, and it's very possible they finish 3-14 given their brutal schedule to end the season (at the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday, vs. the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 and two games against the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills in Weeks 16 and 18).
Still, our Phil Perry and The MMQB's Albert Breer both have reported on NBC Sports Boston that Mayo is very likely to remain the Patriots' coach next season.
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Breer reported earlier this month that the Krafts have an understanding this is a multi-year rebuild and believe Mayo deserves at least another season to prove himself, especially given the lack of talent on this current roster.
"I do think (the Krafts) have respect for the spot that Jerod Mayo has been in and was in coming into this (season)," Breer said last Sunday on Patriots Pregame Live. "And all the chatter and the pressure to win and everything else -- I actually think they believe he's handled that pretty well given the circumstances, given his lack of experience being thrust into this role.
"I still think Jerod Mayo is on really solid ground going into 2025."
Meanwhile, Perry pointed out in his latest mailbag that ownership has committed to Mayo, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and DeMarcus Covington in "real tangible ways" -- including financially -- making it very likely that at least Mayo and potentially all three will return in 2025.
Mayo's murky answer Monday morning may have been his attempt to downplay speculation about his future. Even if that has the opposite effect, it does appear his job is safe for next season barring any unforeseen circumstances.
If the Patriots' struggles continue in Year 2 of the Mayo era, however, the discussion could change quickly.
