After nearly a quarter-century with one head coach in Bill Belichick, don't expect the Patriots to oust his successor after just one season.
Despite a 3-11 start to the 2024 campaign Jerod Mayo is expected to return as Pats head coach in 2025, barring a complete collapse over this season's last three weeks, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL GameDay Morning.
"The Krafts want to keep Jerod Mayo," Rapoport said. "They believe he is the leader for the organization for the future, and they knew it would be a multi-year process to get this thing right.
"Now if things go off the rails, if they really start to struggle and he loses the locker room the last couple games of the season, we've seen this thing turn. But as of now, the Patriots believe Jerod Mayo is their leader for the future."
Mayo, a former New England linebacker and defensive assistant under Belichick, has endured a rough go of it in his first year at the helm of the Patriots.
After winning its first game of the season, New England lost six in a row and is now in the midst of a four-game losing streak. With Jacoby Brissett and ultimately rookie Drake Maye under center, the Patriots offense is among the league's worst, ranking 31st in scoring and 30th in total yards. The defense, Mayo's calling card, is barely faring better, coming in at 23rd in points allowed and 21st in total yards allowed.
The Patriots were not projected to make the postseason in 2024 with a rookie head coach and quarterback, but the manner in which New England has been non-competitive in some of their losses has some skeptical that Mayo is long for the job.
Footage of owner Robert Kraft and president Jonathan Kraft looking displeased during the Patriots' Week 15 loss to Arizona didn't help matters and spurred conversation this week that perhaps New England brass was unhappy with Mayo. The head coach responded Monday to such speculation, telling reporters, "What I will say is they've been fully supportive of us as a team. Look, they're huge fans of the team that they own, so whatever they said, that's what they said."
Under the Krafts, the Patriots have never fired a coach after just one season. The last time a coach lasted just one year in Foxborough is 1990, when Rod Rust was dismissed by then-team owner Victor Kiam after a franchise-worst 1-15 season.
The '24 Patriots have already surpassed that dreadful campaign, but with two games against the AFC East champion Bills and one versus the contending Chargers remaining, New England could very well finish at 3-14, their most losses in a season since 1992 -- and one more than their final year under Belichick.
It appears, however, that the Krafts will take the long view with Mayo as leader of the Patriots and not overreact to his slow start. Things will be looking up next season, when New England will have a second-year coach, second-year QB and perhaps another top-five pick in its arsenal.
After over two decades of unprecedented success, what's the rush on building another dynasty?