The New England Patriots made headlines on Sunday afternoon. New England shockingly decided to fire Jerod Mayo, the team’s hand-picked successor to Bill Belichick, after only one season.
That’s just the beginning it seems. The Patriots had one more move to make as well.
New England also dumped offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt after one season. That means that rookie quarterback Drake Maye will have to learn another offense in his second year in the league.
Ben Volin, a longtime reporter in the New England area, confirmed the Mayo news and reported Van Pelt’s firing.
Adam on it first but source confirms to the Globe that Jerod Mayo has been fired. OC Alex Van Pelt is out as well. Krafts waste no time in making big changes https://t.co/wgYd8Otc7R
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) January 5, 2025
“Adam on it first, but source confirms to the Globe that Jerod Mayo has been fired. OC Alex Van Pelt is out as well,” Volin said.
The Patriots’ puzzling decisions to let go of both Mayo and Van Pelt after one season will send some shockwaves throughout the league. It’s not a particularly great look for an African-American head coach to be a one-and-done, especially when most of the Patriots’ problems stem from poor personnel and an uphill trek they have to go on. That appeared clear when they hired Mayo, a first-time head coach, in a first-year situation with a rookie quarterback.
But evidently… it was not enough in fact.
New England’s puzzling decision will result in another coaching search. Mike Vrabel has already had his name appear in the rumor mill.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022