NFL Rumors: What Some Patriots Asked Robert Kraft About Jerod Mayo’s Exit

Robert Kraft ripped the band-aid right off after the Patriots’ miserable 2024 season concluded.

Less than an hour after New England’s costly Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills, Kraft issued a statement about Jerod Mayo’s departure. It was a harsh exit for Mayo, who was hand-picked to be Bill Belichick’s successor by the longtime Patriots owner years ago.

Kraft met with New England players and coaches the morning after showing Mayo the door. In a column published Sunday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss revealed one of the inquiries the owner fielded in the closed-door meeting.

“The timing and manner in which the Patriots fired Mayo, shortly after Sunday’s season finale, caught some coaches and players by surprise as many were still at the facility with family members,” Reiss wrote.

“According to team sources, the question of why it happened when it did was asked to Kraft in the final team meeting the next day.”

Not only did the Patriots waste no time on the Mayo decision, but they took a similar approach with their coaching search. New England conducted a pair of interviews less than 48 hours after Mayo was ousted and completed two more before the week was over.

So, there’s a chance Patriots players will have a new head coach less than 10 days after they were caught off guard by Mayo’s exit.