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Jerod Mayo fired by New England Patriots after only one season as coach
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- Jerod Mayo fired by New England Patriots after only one season as coach
After enjoying one of the lengthiest periods of coaching stability under Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots are going the one-and-done route.
The Patriots on Sunday fired coach Jerod Mayo after just one season, the team announced, marking a stunning about-face from owner Robert Kraft on the figure he appointed to be Belichick's successor.
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Kraft said the decision to fire Mayo was "one of the hardest decisions I have ever made."
"Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team's performance throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped," Kraft said in a statement.
New England stumbled to a 4-13 finish in Mayo's debut as a head coach, though the team won its season finale against the Buffalo Bills . But after Belichick, who won six Super Bowls in 24 years leading the franchise, was pushed out after a 4-13 campaign, many expected Mayo would receive more time to engineer a turnaround.
Instead, New England is once again looking for another fresh start.
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Mayo's run began auspiciously with a surprising 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener. But the Patriots would lose their next six games and finish the year on a seven-game skid. During the 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17, "fire Mayo" chants broke out at Gillette Stadium.
Mayo also came under fire for calling New England "a soft football team across the board" following a 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in Week 7. The coach attempted to walk back his remark, but Belichick and others criticized him for his characterization of his players and their performance.
Despite the unrest around the mounting losses, Mayo said in the week prior to the regular-season finale against the Bills that he didn't have cause for concern regarding his standing.
"I'm always in constant communication with ownership," Mayo said in a news conference. "I feel like we're still on the same page."
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The Patriots are projected to have more than $130 million in salary cap space - more than any other team - for 2025 as well as the No. 4 overall pick in this year's NFL draft.
This story has been updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jerod Mayo fired by New England Patriots after one season
