The New England Patriots made a bold decision in punting on their first-year head coach.
The New England Patriots wasted no time heading into this offseason in enacting their major coaching staff changes.
No more than two hours after the Patriots final game finished, Robert Kraft and the team released their statement revealing the decision to fire Jerod Mayo after one season after being hand-picked as Bill Belichick’s successor.
Then, in the weeks following, New England was the first NFL team to sign their next head coach in the hiring cycle, bringing in Mike Vrabel to be the next guy for the job.
The process raised a few questions among NFL circles. Pivoting off of a young, first-time head coach following one year on the job is something you don’t see often around the league, and it was even a decision that wasn’t viewed too highly on the Patriots roster.
Christian Gonzalez recently spoke about the Patriots’ coaching changes on the Frat Rules Podcast, noting that he feels his now-former head coach got done “a little dirty.”
“I think they did him a little dirty giving him only one year,” Gonzalez said. “But, it’s business. We gon’ see what [Mike Vrabel] do… They damn near cleaned house.”
The Patriots’ showing from 2024 was far from pleasant. Posting a second-straight 4-13 record and securing yet another top-five pick is not the most ideal outcome. As a result, Mayo inevitably got the boot, while New England brought in possibly the coach they wanted all along in Vrabel.
It’s indeed a business, but a cold one at that.
However, bringing in Vrabel also comes a virtually entirely new staff –– adding a new layer of experience and exposure from other teams around the league that wasn’t on the team in 2024.
The fresh voices in the building can hopefully lead to some extended success in the standings for a Patriots team, and hopefully prove Kraft right in making a bold, yet potentially wise decision in the long run. Only time will tell.
