History suggests it might be too early to give up on Jerod Mayo with the Patriots

The past week has brought on a lot of criticism surrounding Robert Kraft's decision to make Jerod Mayo the head coach of the New England Patriots to succeed Bill Belichick, who he decided to fire this past offseason. It has been a questioned decision since the initial announcement, but with six losses in a row, the new regime is being examined under a microscope.

The beginning of Mayo's tenure seemed like a great change of pace in Foxboro, especially since there appeared to be a more relaxed vibe on and off the field, which wasn't the case during the Belichick era. Significant changes were made to the facility, and players were raving about how great their new head coach was, but that was drastically changed over the past seven weeks.

From wide receivers taking out their frustrations on their social media profiles and calling out teammates in the media to Mayo creating controversy for referring to the Patriots as a "soft football team," the days since their loss to the Jaguars has been far from positive.

Much of it has created calls for Mayo to be fired just seven games into his rookie year as a head coach, with reporters adding fuel to the fire by claiming Kraft is already questioning his decision to hire him in the first place.

While there is a chance Mayo isn't the right guy for the job, there is also plenty to consider when judging a first-time head coach and why it's important not to jump to conclusions about their potential prematurely.

Rookie head coaches are historically not good at the start of their tenures

Because New England fans are feeling what it's like to be one of the worst teams in the NFL for the first time in decades, it's easy to jump into the misery and believe it's all doom and gloom for the foreseeable future. However, some of the most respected coaches in the league didn't have impressive starts with their respective teams but have progressed since and led their teams to success.

Those head coaches are Lions' Dan Campbell and 49ers' Kyle Shanahan. Both were highly regarded when they were initially hired but quickly deemed unimpressive after struggling in their first few years in their new positions.

That could be the inevitable future for Mayo, if Kraft doesn't decide to move on from him as soon as this (or next) season.

Campbell was hired by Detroit in 2021 and walked into a historically bad franchise that had some believing was cursed. That season, the Lions recorded a 3-13-1 record, making it look like Campbell wouldn't be any different than those before him. However, the following season, after they had already traded for Jared Goff, the team ended with a 9-8 record, proving patience is essential with a new head coach.

A similar sentiment could be said about Shanahan's early days in San Francisco. In 2017, the 49ers recorded a 6-10 record and got worse the following year, ending the season 4-12. He has since helped lead the team to multiple NFC Championships and Super Bowls, which wouldn't have been possible if the team had moved on from him after just one or two seasons.

To further pad this argument, Belichick could be named, as well. His first season with the Patriots ended with a 5-11 record, far from what Kraft hoped for. But we know how much that changed over the following two decades.

This isn't to say that Mayo will be the reincarnation of Belichick, Campbell, or Shanahan or that he will magically turn the Patriots around to being a competitive team over the next nine games or even next year. But their careers prove that Mayo could develop into exactly the kind of coach the team needs if given the time and the right staff around him.

Whether he will get that opportunity or even earn it is yet to be seen, but it's at least something to consider when deciding whether firing him mid-season or next offseason is the best move.

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