- As the New England Patriots continue to struggle, longtime head coach Bill Belichick appears to be on borrowed time in Foxborough.
- Current Patriots’ linebackers coach Jerod Mayo is favored to be the team’s next head coach.
- The Patriots fell to 2-10 on the season after being shut out by the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13.
The New England Patriots will likely be on the search for a new head coach shortly. With the Patriots nose-diving to a record of 2-10, Bill Belichick is on a short leash with owner Robert Kraft. According to the latest odds at BetUS, Jerod Mayo is a +200 favorite to be the next Patriots’ head coach.
Mayo has a slight lead on the second-shortest favorite, Titans’ head coach and former Patriot, Mike Vrabel. Currently, Vrabel has +250 odds to be named the next Patriots’ bench boss. At +200, Mayo is the likeliest candidate, with an implied probability of 33.3 percent.
Jim Harbaugh (+500), Eric Bieniemy (+800), and Tom Brady (+1000) round out the Top 5 odds in the Patriots’ next head coach search. Brady is more of a novelty pick than anything else. Kraft loves Brady, but this doesn’t make him a realistic replacement for Belichick.
Mayo, Vrabel, and Bieniemy seem like the most realistic coaching options. Harbaugh might be tempted, but leaving his alma mater to coach a Patriots team in disarray doesn’t appear attractive for a highly sought-after head coach.
Patriots Fail To Score Point Against Chargers
The call for Belichick’s resignation grew louder after the Patriots’ offense showed no interest on Sunday afternoon. While the defense was impressive in limiting a dangerous Justin Herbert offense, the Bailey Zappe-led Patriots couldn’t even get into field goal range in a 6-0 loss.
Zappe completed 13-of-25 passes for 141 yards against a soft Chargers’ secondary. DeVante Parker’s 64-yard receiving output was the Patriots’ most impactful offensive effort in Week 13. However, Parker along with JuJu Smith-Schuster have largely been unproductive acquisitions by Belichick.
The Patriots have quickly turned into a Jets state of dysfunction on offense. Regardless of which QB starts, the Patriots can’t generate an offensive rhythm. Mac Jones has been in and out of the starting lineup, as Belichick finally sat him down for good against the Chargers.
Zappe took all the snaps for the Patriots in their 10th loss of the season. In five games, Zappe has passed for 299 yards, 0 touchdowns, and two interceptions. The 2022 fourth-round draft pick has completed just 50 percent of his passes in 2023.
The 24-year-old native of Victoria, Texas, led the Patriots to seven punts and two drives ended up in turnovers on downs. Belichick knows full well that Zappe isn’t transforming the Patriots’ offense, but Jones’ play warranted a benching.
After a promising rookie campaign and appearance in the Pro Bowl, Jones has regressed since 2021. With Belichick responsible for drafting Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he is also responsible for putting together this anemic offense. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is squarely on the chopping block, too.
Jerod Mayo Has Learned Under Belichick’s Wing
From entering the NFL as a Patriot in 2008, as the 10th overall pick of the NFL Draft to being hired as the Patriots’ inside linebacker’s coach in 2019, Mayo is a full-fledged student of Belichick.
Last offseason, Mayo passed down head coaching interviews to remain with the Patriots.
When asked if Mayo received any promises from Kraft regarding a future head coach job, the 37-year-old coach simply stated, “We’ll see what happens.”
Described as a hard worker, Belichick reportedly spent years trying to recruit Mayo as a coach following his final season as a player in 2015.
Despite not being the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, he has played a role in putting the defense together. Last December, Mayo stated that he is prepared to be an NFL head coach:
“That’s never changed. I think I’m ready to be a head coach in the league,” Mayo stated to Mass Live. “But I have to say this too, right my focus is being here with the Patriots. But that definitely is still the goal.”
