Bedard: Jerod Mayo Job Not Guaranteed Next Season

It’s been an underwhelming first season to say the least for Patriots rookie head coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots record sits at 3-10 with just four weeks remaining in the NFL regular season.

No one expected miracles in Mayo’s first year as an NFL head coach, but an improvement over last season’s embarrassing 4-win campaign would have been a start.

But will Mayo make it to year 2?  NFL insider Greg Bedard isn’t so sure.

Sources tell Bedard that Kraft “would not hesitate” to fire his hand-picked successor to Bill Belichick if the Pats owner felt he made the wrong choice.

“I don’t know if it’s risen to that level yet at this point, I don’t think it has,” Bedard said on the Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast on CLNS Media. “This is why the final four games are important.”

If Mayo’s fate truly does rest on the final four games of the season, he might be in trouble. The Patriots will face the Arizona Cardinals (6-7), the Chargers (8-5) and the Buffalo Bills (10-3) twice. All three teams are fighting with playoff implications in mind, while the Patriots have nothing left to play for but pride.

“If they get their doors blown off in these last few weeks, and they’ve lost seven straight to finish the year, it could get into that territory,” Bedard said. If the Patriots can’t put together anything positive on the football field, Jerod Mayo could be on his way out.

Should Mayo get fired, Bedard suggested a familiar face who might be a candidate to replace him: Mike Vrabel.

“Everyone knows Mike Vrabel is an excellent coach. He’s an excellent tactician,” Bedard said. “Do you think Jerod Mayo is going to be a good coach? Because if there’s any doubt about that…Mike Vrabel is plug-and-play and he understands the environment.”

Mayo’s next chance to impress ownership will be when the Patriots visit the Cardinals on Sunday at 4:25.