There's not enough time in the day to discuss the ongoing conflicting reports about Jerod Mayo's status as the Patriots head coach and whether he's in the hot seat. Every day, more rumors are spoken about, and new reporters add their two cents, which makes the entire situation far more confusing for the fans.
Leading up to the Patriots game against the Bills on Sunday, it had been widely reported that Mayo was fighting for his job in 2025, along with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Mike Vrabel was thrown into the mix as someone interested in taking the role if it became available, which seemed to play into Robert Kraft's interests last year.
The belief was that Mayo was coaching for his job over the final three games of the season, which couldn't be a more challenging road considering who the Patriots are set to play. However, the latest update from NFL insider Ian Rapoport suggests that might not be true.
Hours before kickoff, Rapoport discussed Mayo's ongoing situation and revealed that the Krafts are supporting their head coach and believe he is "the leader for their organization." They are said to understand it's a multi-year rebuild, and things weren't expected to be great in 2024, but it's the rest of what Rapoport shared that doesn't make a lot of sense.
The Krafts standard for Jerod Mayo for the rest of the season doesn't match up with how the year has gone
While it's understandable that Kraft wouldn't want to give up on his hand-picked choice to succeed Bill Belichick after just one season, what doesn't line up is the idea that Mayo is being given more of a chance unless "things go off the rails."
Wouldn't it be fair to say the Patriots have already gotten to that point?
The 2024 season wasn't expected to be a good one, certainly not a year that would result in many wins or the managing to make the playoffs. However, the team is on pace to have a worse season than last year, which resulted in the firing of the longest-tenured head coach in New England's history.
To make things even worse, they are not expected to win another game over the next three weeks. In fact, they're projected to be blown out at least twice since they're playing the Bills amidst their hot streak and Josh Allen's MVP campaign. If that's not considered going off the rails, what is?
The main factor that Mayo will seem to have in his favor is not losing the locker room, which is another aspect that Rapoport mentioned. The head coach still has the support and belief of the players, and they have consistently advocated for him throughout the year, so that isn't anticipated to change any time soon.
That could ultimately play the biggest role in Kraft's decision at the end of the year, but it would be difficult to ignore how poorly the team plays if they do fare the way most analysts and fans feel they will over the next three games.