Jerod Mayo Fired? Ex-Patriots Star Dumps Cold Water On Hot-Seat Theory

The reactions to the Patriots’ brutal Week 7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars are getting out of control.

Jerod Mayo called New England a “soft football team” moments after they dropped their sixth straight game and now the first-year head coach appears to be on the hot seat throughout the rumor mill.

Everyone seems to have a take, but ex-Patriots star Rob Gronkowski believes it would be absolutely foolish for New England to fire Mayo now or after the season.

“I don’t think there’s juice to that at all,” Gronkowski said on “The Up & Adams Show” on Wednesday. “I mean, you’ve got to give him another opportunity next year. … You didn’t hire him for no reason. Obviously, you see some special traits in Mayo. He knows the game of football very well.”

Gronkowski added that the situation Mayo inherited in New England was not ideal, and what the former Patriots linebacker does going forward should outweigh what happened so far in the season.

“It’s all about what he does in the offseason,” Gronkowski said. “It’s all about, I would say as well, how his team does from here on out. Are they competitive? Are they going to win a game? Are the players turning on him? If he can keep that locker room going, then that says a lot. And that’s what needs to happen.”

The four-time Super Bowl-winning tight end also said Mayo should learn from this past week when he meets with the media following Sunday’s Patriots matchup with the New York Jets.

“He’s probably going to learn from this situation as well,” Gronkowski said. “When you’re a rookie, you’re a young rookie head coach, you’re definitely going to have many learning lessons. And I feel that was one of them, because it’s kind of a distraction as well with what he said (calling the team ‘soft’).

“Maybe he didn’t know that it was going to be talked about throughout the whole week. And it kind of starts taking from the team. Starts taking away from practice, taking away from the guys. And that’s not what it’s about. I feel like coach Mayo is going to tone it down a little bit now after those comments and use it as a learning lesson.”