What we know about the status of the Patriots’ coaching staff and front office, so far
Jerod Mayo is out in New England, but his exit has not led to a Patriot purge.
It appears that Patriots owner Robert Kraft is not making any major decisions on Monday beyond firing Mayo, who presided over a football operation that was even worse than the team’s 4-13 record suggested. That doesn’t mean sweeping changes won’t be made. They just haven’t quite taken place yet.
Here’s what we know about the status of the Patriots’ remaining coaching staff and front office, according to the latest reporting…
No one else was fired
The Patriots have in fact fired Mayo, but have yet to dismiss offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt or any other assistants, as of this writing on Monday. Mark Daniels of MassLive reported Monday that no one else had been fired besides Mayo, but added: “That could change.” Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald confirmed Daniels’ report.
All eyes will be on Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, as to their futures with the Patriots organization. But after the debacle that was the 2024 season, no coach in that building should feel safe for 2025.
However, the fact that no one else lost their job indicates that the Pats’ remaining assistants will get an opportunity to stay on with the team’s next head coach, who will likely be empowered to assemble his own staff, whether from within or outside the organization.
The Krafts will handle their own head coach search
Unlike the Patriots’ “hiring process” with Mayo, the team is expected to undergo a full, thorough search to hire their next head coach. According to Albert Breer on Monday, Robert and Jonathan Kraft are expected to “run point” on the search, and won’t be hiring an external firm to help them. They will, however, potentially have a few other people internally to work alongside them in the search.
They’ve submitted a significant interview request
According to multiple reports, the Patriots have put in a request to interview Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coach vacancy. Johnson has been the Lions’ OC since the 2022 season, and the team has ranked fifth, fifth, and first in points scored over the course of his three seasons. He will be arguably the most sought-after head coaching candidate across the league this off-season.
Mike Vrabel has long been named as a top candidate for the Patriots’ head coaching job, for obvious reasons. But the Pats will be wise to do their due diligence and speak to a wide range of people, if only to expand their network outside the organization.
The front office remains intact – for now
Kraft met with reporters on Monday to address his decision to move on from Mayo, as well as the many other questions facing the organization as they head into a huge off-season. One of the key details to know for now is that the team’s front office leadership, namely executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, will remain with the team – for now.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran said Monday on X that the Patriots’ personnel department is expected to get “more time to right [the] ship and fix [the] roster.” They most certainly inherited a significantly undermanned group, especially on offense, but did little in 2024 to improve it, which made many of us wonder whether the seat was getting hot for them.
Kraft also acknowledged that the next head coach will have a say in decisions on new personnel staff, in addition to assistant coaches. So, Wolf’s status, as well as the rest of the front office, is TBD for now.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
