The Patriots’ Jerod Mayo era came to a screeching halt early Sunday evening.

New England officially fired Mayo less than an hour after its season-ending win over the Buffalo Bills, which moved the Patriots out of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Mayo, who played eight seasons in New England and coached five campaigns on Bill Belichick’s staff before replacing his predecessor, went 4-13 in his lone season at the helm.

Mayo’s firing sparked widespread reaction, including a social post from former tight end Benjamin Watson, who was the former’s teammate for two seasons in Foxboro, Mass.

“Jerod Mayo was set up,” Watson posted to X. “Bill goes 4-13 in his last season with a roster void of top tier talent. What miracle were we expecting Jerod to perform in 17 games? If he wasn’t going to get an adequate chance to build a roster then why hire him?”

The “set up” claim is tough to defend, as Robert Kraft believed in Mayo enough to forego a proper coaching search last offseason. But Mayo undoubtedly was forced to work with an inferior roster, which makes the Patriots’ reported decision to retain their front office all the more puzzling.

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Mayo will turn 39 in late February, so he still has more than enough time to have a robust coaching career. As for the Patriots, they better hope they nail their next coaching hire.

Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images