KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
New England Patriots

Fox Sports interrupted Rob Gronkowski just as he was criticizing Robert Kraft following the firing of Jerod Mayo from the Patriots

The shocking announcement came on Sunday

Fox Sports interrupted Rob Gronkowski just as he was criticizing Robert Kraft following the firing of Jerod Mayo from the Patriots
Steven SenneAP
Actualizado

The New England Patriots have made a stunning decision to part ways with head coach Jerod Mayo, despite his team's victory over the Buffalo Bills in the final game of the 2024 season.

With the Patriots winning 23-16, they were still unable to secure the top pick in the NFL draft. This shocking announcement came on Sunday, marking the end of Mayo's brief tenure at the helm of the team.

In a statement posted to the Patriots' official social media s, owner Robert Kraft discussed the decision to dismiss Mayo after just one season.

Related:

Kraft explained that he initially felt confident in Mayo's leadership, especially after other teams expressed interest in interviewing him for head coaching positions.

However, after evaluating the overall performance of the team, he concluded that the direction of the franchise had not improved as anticipated.

"After the game today, I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025," the statement read.

"When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach... Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team's performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped."

Gronkowski interrupted on air

The news of Mayo's departure has sparked strong reactions from former teammates and analysts. Rob Gronkowski, a four-time Super Bowl champion and former Patriots star, was particularly vocal about the decision.

Gronkowski, who played alongside Mayo, was caught off guard by the announcement and shared his views during Fox Sports' halftime show.

"I was shocked by that," Gronkowski said. "I think it was unfair to coach Jerod Mayo. I mean, he never had the chance to develop as a head coach. He was just a rookie himself in that department. And if you judge a coach by their first year, that's really not appropriate."

While Gronkowski clearly had more to say on the matter, his comments were cut short by co-host Michael Strahan, who reminded the audience that they needed to take a commercial break.

New England PatriotsPatriots fire Jerod Mayo after disappointing 4-13 season
Dallas CowboysCowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is being compared to Bill Belichick after getting engaged to his young model girlfriend
New England PatriotsNew England Patriots could get the "next Bill Belichick", but will Robert Kraft stick with Jerod Mayo?