Patriots Rumors: How Jerod Mayo Creating Tension Behind Scenes

What's up with the Jerod Mayo smear campaign?

Mayo, who's served as the Patriots' de facto co-defensive coordinator in recent years, entered this season as the presumed favorite to succeed Bill Belichick as the franchise's next head coach. And as New England sunk into the depths of irrelevance, it seemed as if Mayo could take Belichick's job as soon as 2024.

But recent reports indicate Robert Kraft might not be sold on Mayo as the best fit to lead the Patriots into their post-Belichick era. Earlier this week, Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard reported Mayo has rubbed some people the "wrong way" since signing an extension last offseason.

That brings us to Sunday, when Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer was asked whether Mayo indeed has irked some Patriots players and coaches by acting "arrogant" this season. He threw cold water on the report while offering interesting insight into how Belichick has treated Mayo behind the scenes.

"I wouldn't go that far," Breer said during an NBC Sports Boston appearance. "I don't think that that's really what it is. This is a weird time in that organization right now. The way that it's been described to me over the last few weeks is, basically, you have one guy at the very top of the masthead -- and that's Bill Belichick. And he's operating like nothing's wrong. ... Everything is as if he's gonna be there in 2024. Meanwhile, you've got everyone underneath him who has no idea what's going on. No idea where this thing's going. So, it has created a little awkwardness inside the walls of Gillette Stadium. And of course, part of all of that is the fact that there's the assumption that Jerod Mayo's gonna be the next head coach.

"And one thing that people have noticed is they have these accountability meetings, where they hold everybody accountable after the game. It's something they've done for years and years and years. So, this isn't new. But one thing that people I talked to at least have noticed, is how (Belichick) has been every bit as hard on the defense as he has been on the offense. The defense, of course, has played a lot better than the offense. (Belichick's) actually doing a lot of his work right now on the offensive side of the ball. He's worked a lot more with the offensive line since Adrian Klemm took leave. So, there are some people in the building who have taken that as, 'Oh, well, you're taking shots at the defense. Are those shots at Jerod?' So, just a weird time in general. But that is one thing that has stuck out, is how he's been every bit as hard on the defense as he has been on the offense even though the defense has outplayed the offense on the field."

How all of this shakes out is anyone's guess. One Patriot Place has sprung so many leaks to NFL reporters this season that it's impossible to keep track of which way the water flows on a given day.

But something clearly needs to change this offseason, as the growing level of dysfunction isn't sustainable.