Top NFL insider shares fresh update on Jerod Mayo’s job security
There’s arguably no football reporter better connected than Adam Schefter. So when he reports on your team, you listen.
In New England, there’s no bigger story right now for the 3-11 Patriots than the future of their embattled first-year head coach, Jerod Mayo. It’s become clear that Mayo has been thrust into this role way too early, between the Pats’ persistent preparation problems and Mayo’s constant press conference gaffes (calling them gaffes is being kind).
So, in the wake of the team looking as sloppy as ever in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, despite having come off their bye week, questions have risen about whether Mayo is fit for this role. Will he even make it to a second season?
MORE: Jerod Mayo walks back latest foot-in-mouth comment
Schefter has spoken. To be fair, he didn’t necessarily say anything different than what has already been said by multiple reporters in recent days, but it means a lot to come from him, because he almost certainly has a direct line to Robert and/or Jonathan Kraft. Not that other reporters lack that connection, but Schefter is simply the gold standard.
Anyway, he said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Thursday that the Krafts aren’t looking to move on from Mayo – right now. The door remains slightly ajar for a change.
“Ownership has stood behind [Mayo] and is not planning to make any changes,” Schefter said, “but there’s always three weeks left for him.”
That makes a fella wonder what could possibly change the Krafts’ minds over the next three weeks. Logically speaking, it wouldn’t be the results on the field, because those can’t get much worse than they already have and will likely continue to be bad in a tough end-of-season slate, with two games against the Buffalo Bills and a home date against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Off-field trouble? Bad-mouthing ownership? Suppose you can’t rule that one out, considering how Mayo has stumbled around at the podium this season.
So, even Schefter isn’t giving a 100% definitive vote of confidence in Mayo’s job security. That could speak to a potential difference of opinion among Robert and Jonathan Kraft on how to proceed for the rest of the 2024 season and beyond. The story here, though, is that Mayo’s coaching has been bad enough to warrant this conversation in the first place.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.