Jerod Mayo will reportedly not coach for his job with the Patriots in 2025

There has been a lot of reporting and speculation surrounding the final three weeks of the 2024 season and the status of Jerod Mayo’s future with the Patriots. The running narrative was that he was doing his job coaching in the latter part of the year, which shouldn’t be easy considering who was on the roster.

Facing the Bills twice in three weeks, with the Chargers in between, is likely to be one of the toughest weeks of the season for the Patriots, except they were able to stay on par with their division rival last week in Buffalo. That provides more optimism about their chances against the Chargers in Week 17 and even more so when they face the Bills again next Sunday.

Despite this surge in positivity, it was implied that Mayo would coach to save his future as the team’s head coach, as multiple reporters and insiders have stated in recent weeks. But that has since changed, according to Ian Rapoport, who reported Saturday that Robert Kraft is expected to keep Mayo for another season.

“Patriots owner Robert Kraft spent years preparing for Jerod Mayo to be Bill Belichick’s successor, even writing it into Mayo’s contract. Barring disaster in the final two games of the season, Kraft is expected to give Mayo another season to prove him right.”

Jerod Mayo may not have anything to worry about if he ends the Patriots’ 2024 season

While this is similar to what has recently been reported about the likelihood of the season being completely derailed over the past two weeks, it seems far more likely that Kraft has no intention of making a head coach move like some before him have suggested.

It’s a major decision by team ownership as people like Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel are considered top candidates for jobs in the 2025 offseason. Vrabel has been on the Patriots’ radar for the past few seasons and was even named by Kraft as the favorite to succeed Bill Belichick, but that hasn’t happened.

The decision to stay with Mayo for another year means the former Patriot is effectively out of contention in the near future, assuming he gets another coaching job in the NFL or elsewhere in the next few months.

The same goes for Johnson, who has been considered a head coach candidate for several years and has received a lot of attention. If Kraft doesn’t hire him this offseason, expect him to be on a different sideline next year.

The continuity on the Patriots’ coaching staff is admirable for Kraft, as they appear to have their quarterback in Drake Maye. But it’s also risky considering how poorly the 2024 season went.

More Patriots news and analysis: