It's Head Coaching Interview Season In Foxboro: Patch Patriots Roundup

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Jerod Mayo's one-year stint as the head coach of the New England Patriots is over, and the Patriots have already begun the process of finding the team's next top man.

Owner Robert Kraft fired Mayo on Sunday afternoon shortly after the coach won the final game of his only season leading the team. The win saw the team end the year with a 4-13 record and also knocked them out of the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They will now pick fourth, but could still have their choice of the best offensive lineman or wide receiver available to them.

Kraft, who designated Mayo as the heir apparent to Belichick, said the decision wasn't an easy one.

"For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have made," Kraft said in a statement late Sunday afternoon. "I have known Jerod for 17 years. He earned my respect and admiration as a rookie in 2008 and throughout his career for his play on the field, his leadership in the locker room and the way he has conducted himself in our community."

Still, the team has moved on quickly from the firing to the initial interview stage, having already interviewed ex-Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who is a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame.

The team has also completed interviews with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and longtime offensive assistant Pep Hamilton.

If Vrabel is one of the top names in the coaching search, perhaps the other two most highly-valued candidates are Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

Johnson is set to interview with the team via Zoom on Friday while Glenn declined to interview with the Patriots.

The Athletic's Chad Graff said that the team's four-person hiring committee is expected to move quickly after interviewing its top candidates, noting that a decision is expected as early as next week.

Graff as well as plenty of other insiders, consider Vrabel as the top candidate, though Ben Johnson is considered around the league as the crown jewel of this coaching cycle.