Robert Kraft takes blame for disappointing 2024 Patriots season, feels guilty for firing Jerod Mayo
FOXBORO – One day after firing head coach Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft took the podium at Gillette Stadium and shouldered the blame for a disappointing 2024 season.
Kraft said he feels guilty for dismissing Mayo after just one season, especially since he was the one that put the head coach in such a difficult situation.
"This whole situation is one me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation. I know that he has all the tools of a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job," Kraft said Monday.
"In the end, I'm a fan of this team first. And now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships," Kraft added.
Kraft said it was not an easy decision to come to, but a necessary one with how the final month of the season played out.
"It was one of the more difficult things I've had to do in my life. I had such affection for him and I believe in him," Kraft said of Mayo. "I really do believe he will go on as he gets more experience and will be successful. It was not easy. He was a gentleman and accepted it that way."
Jerod Mayo fired
Just over an hour after Sunday's win over the Bills, Kraft officially announced the firing of Mayo, who was chosen as the successor to Bill Belichick five years ago.
The Patriots went 4-13 in Mayo's only season on the sideline. Kraft said he felt the team regressed in the second half of the season, and began to entertain the idea of moving on from Mayo over the last month.
"The high point of everything for me was winning in the Cincinnati game. Mid-season, I think we started to regress," said Kraft.
"I don't like losing. I don't like losing the way we lost," he added. "Things were not developing the way we would have liked and it was time to move on."
Ownership did not discuss a Week 18 plan with Mayo
The Patriots finished the season with a win over Buffalo in Week 18, costing themselves the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. New England will now draft fourth in April.
Kraft said that Mayo did not know he was going to be fired when he took the field on Sunday. He also said that ownership did not have a conversation with Mayo or the coaching staff ahead of Week 18 over how they should have handled Sunday's finale.
Who will be the next Patriots coach?
For the first time in 25 years, the Patriots will be underdoing a full head coaching search. Kraft said the team will cast a wide net and interview several candidates, which the team did not do last year.
"We want to interview as many people as we can that we think can help us get to that position that we want to be in," said Kraft.
Kraft said there isn't one singular attribute they're looking for in a new head coach.
"You need someone who players can relate to and respond to. But they need to have a team around them that has product knowledge, in-game adjustments, knowing what their system is -- it's a lot of things coming together," he said.
According to reports on Sunday, the Patriots could turn to a former player once again. Mike Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls in New England, is one of the hottest names for NFL teams with a coaching vacancy.
Vrabel, who interviewed with the New York Jets already, reportedly has interest in his former team's vacancy, and the feeling is likely mutual. But Kraft didn't want to comment on individual candidates on Monday.
New England has already requested an interview with the other hot name on the market: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. With the Lions earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye, Johnson can speak to teams this week.
The next Patriots head coach will have a decent landing spot, all things considered. New England holds the No. 4 pick in the draft, appears to have found its franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, and has around $130 million in cap space to spend.
Patriots front office will remain intact
Kraft said that VP of player personnel Eliot Wolf will remain in his position and be part of the coaching search. He expects to move quickly in the process, with Alonzo Highsmith and Jonathan Kraft also involved with the search.
While Wolf and company did not have a very good offseason last year, Kraft sounded confident the front office is heading in the right direction.
"The department evolved a lot and a lot of things were changed," he said. "We changed our grading system this year. Our drafts have not been good for a while. If you want to compete long-term and be good in this league, you have to have good drats. Those rookie contracts allow you to go out and surround people."
