After finishing last in the AFC East in 2023, the New England Patriots are on pace to finish last in the division again and to pick in the top three of the draft. New England has looked underwhelming under rookie head coach Jerod Mayo, and there is a lack of progress from the team. Should the Patriots make a change with their head coach?
The quarterback and coaching talent in the AFC has become increasingly large. New England spent their third overall pick last year on quarterback Drake Maye, and given the circumstances he’s been placed in, there’s reason to be very optimistic about the future.
In seven full games, Maye has thrown for 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions while adding over 300 yards from rushing. Given the lack of elite perimeter receivers and a consistent offensive line, Maye’s production has been highly impressive.
Despite this, the Patriots’ coaching staff has been very underwhelming. New England has been one of the most penalized pre-snap penalty teams in the NFL and has lost numerous games based on poor decision-making towards the end of games. While this is expected with a rookie quarterback and coach, there has been no improvement on the coaching side.
In 2023, the Patriots were a premier defense in the NFL, finishing as an overall top-five unit despite missing Christian Gonzales for a large part of the year. This year, New England has been a below-average unit despite being relatively healthy for the most part.
Jerod Mayo was brought in as a defensive-minded coach, and the defense has significantly stagnated under him this season. The defense regressing as significantly as it did raises a lot of concern as Mayo was praised for being a premiere defensive mind, and a top-five unit under him has declined to a below-average defensive unit.
While there certainly is reason for concern from what the coaching staff has shown this year, it’s fair to consider that this is still the first year Jerod Mayo has had. The Patriots’ roster isn’t well-built at the moment, so it would be unrealistic to expect a massive jump from this team.
However, certain candidates may be too good to pass on. Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson are the clear best candidates in this coaching market. Vrabel is a proven defensive mind and has led his team to the playoffs before.
He also has ties with the Patriots. Johnson has orchestrated one of the best offenses in the NFL the past two seasons and is the best offensive mind on the market. If either candidate is willing to come to the Patriots, they should seriously consider a change.
If both of those candidates go elsewhere, the best thing New England can do is revamp its assistant coaching staff. Bringing in a proven offensive coordinator to work with Drake Maye and a defensive coordinator to get the defense back on track would benefit a young coach like Jerod Mayo.
Overall, this is a complex situation in New England. The Patriots’ final four games are key indicators of whether the team is trending in the right direction or if changes may be needed.
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