Throughout the 2023 season, there was a lot of speculation about it being Bill Belichick's final year as the Patriots head coach and general manager, mainly due to their lack of success since Tom Brady left in 2020. All signs pointed to that being the case by season's end, making the eventual announcement not so shocking.
That then kicked debates into overdrive regarding who might replace the tenured coach. Not many people want to be the first to take over a franchise after a guy like Belichick, so it seemed like the options would likely be limited.
Plenty of rumors tied former Patriots to the position, the focus being recently fired former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and promoting Jerod Mayo into the role. Chatter suggested Robert Kraft had his eyes on Vrabel, as he had years of experience leading a team, only for him to formally introduce Mayo as Belichick's successor a few days after his departure.
Reporters revealed it had been the plan by the Patriots owner all along, as it was said to be part of Mayo's new contract from the previous season. But the idea he knew the end was near for Belichick didn't sit right with many, even if the ultimately agreed with the decision.
Although most have moved on from the discussion, Mayo's tenure has already been questioned through the first two weeks of the 2024 season. Some have begun calling him a "player's coach" who has accomplished things Belichick could never do. Others believe he's stuck his foot in his mouth one too many times already, making it seem like he wasn't ready for the job.
No matter what analysts and fans might believe, Kraft just dropped a bombshell about when he decided Mayo would be the team's next head coach minutes before the Patriots face the Jets in their only primetime game of the season on Thursday Night Football.
Robert Kraft just set the record straight on when Jerod Mayo was going to be the Patriots next head coach
When speaking to Taylor Rooks as the Patriots took the field for their Week 3 matchup, Kraft detailed the culture Mayo is trying to bring to the team in the post-Belichick era.
That's when the owner revealed he picked Mayo as the next head coach long before anyone could have anticipated.
"Jerod [Mayo] learned a lot from Bill [Belichick] in the technical background. But they're each special individuals. I've gotten to know Jerod over the last 15 years, and, you know, I picked him five years ago to be our next head coach...it's great that he had the ability to train under Bill"
.@Patriots owner Robert Kraft chats to @TaylorRooks on the culture Jerod Mayo is bringing to the team.#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/GItteIC0iA
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 19, 2024
This throws a bit of a wrench into the conversation about Kraft and Belichick's alleged deteriorating relationship, as this new detail seems to suggest, or even confirm, that things might have been going downhill for much longer than the last two chaotic years.