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The New England Patriots parted ways with head coach Jerod Mayo following Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills. The team finished 4-13 in his debut season.
Rob Gronkowski didn’t agree with the decision to move on so quickly, an opinion he attempted to voice on set with FOX. Before he could really dig in, the network cut to commercial.
he 100% was https://t.co/NflqSy0WsH pic.twitter.com/0dRsduqmKf
— mm (@muhtacinm) January 5, 2025
“I was shocked by that,” he said. “And for it to happen that soon was a shocker to a lot of people… I think it was unfair to coach Jerod Mayo. He never had the chance to develop as a head coach. He was just a rookie himself in that department. If you judge a coach by their first year, that’s really not appropriate…”
Just as Rob Gronkowski was about to dig his teeth in, the show cut to a break. The former Patriots tight end clearly had a few more things to say on the situation.
Many agree with Gronk on the firing. Mayo was in Year 1 as a head coach. Growing pains were expected. If you weren’t going to give him a chance to build, why hire him at all?
Others, however, believe it was the right move, especially after he cost them the No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick by winning a meaningless season finale.
The belief is that former NFL linebacker and head coach Mike Vrabel is the top candidate to replace Mayo in Foxborough. His recent flirtation with the rival Jets might’ve helped speed up the process.
For Jerod Mayo, it ends a head coaching stint that never really got started. It will be interesting to see where he winds up with his next role.