The New England Patriots made a surprising decision.
Although most reports about Jerod Mayo were negative, and he didn’t seem to do a good job in his first year in charge of the team, most also stated that Robert Kraft would give him another chance.
Instead, they didn’t even wait until Black Monday to show him the door.
The Patriots fired him shortly after beating the Buffalo Bills in the regular-season finale, a win that also cost them the No. 1 pick.
When asked about that, former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski admitted to being surprised.
Talking on FOX Sports, the legendary tight end stated that this only means that Kraft has a plan:
“Obviously Mr Kraft didn’t see Jerod Mayo being that culture builder that he was hoping to be over the last season, and obviously Mr. Kraft has a plan as well going forward,” he said.
"Obviously Mr Kraft didn't see Jerod Mayo being that culture builder that he was hoping to be over the last season, and obviously Mr. Kraft has a plan as well going forward." @RobGronkowski shares his thoughts on the Patriots parting ways with HC Jerod Mayo after one season pic.twitter.com/arQvt02M2p
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 5, 2025
According to Gronkowski, this is most likely because he wants Mike Vrabel to return home and become their next head coach.
More surprisingly, Gronk also revealed that he had heard rumblings about Josh McDaniels potentially returning as their offensive coordinator.
McDaniels’ two head coaching stints left plenty to be desired, but he found plenty of success as their offensive coordinator in multiple stints.
Granted, the Patriots were never expected to compete at a high level this season, as they didn’t have the talent on the roster to do so.
Even so, they didn’t show many signs of improvement or building a winning culture within the organization.
More than that, it’s not every day that a proven head coach with ties to the organization, such as Mike Vrabel, is up for hire, so Kraft had to make an executive decision.
NEXT: Jerod Mayo Reveals What He Is Proud Of This Season
