Let me start off by saying the New England Patriots probably aren’t firing Jerod Mayo as head coach after only one season.
It sets a bad precedent for the organization and its ability to be patient, which ultimately could turn off other potential coaching candidates. Mayo took over a 4-13 football team with arguably the worst roster in the NFL.
What were people expecting? An eight-win season? There was no chance that was ever happening in one year.
With that said, I get the extreme levels of frustration for the team considering they can’t even do the easy stuff right. They’re a walking billboard for penalties, dropped passes and poor situational decisions. An exceptionally large chunk of those frustrations can be chalked up to inexperienced coaching.
The Patriots have a first-time head coach, a first-time defensive coordinator and a first-time offensive play-caller in the NFL. Coaching was always going to be an issue for the team. The hope was that the trio of Mayo, Alex Van Pelt and DeMarcus Covington could learn on the go and just figure it out. It hasn’t happened yet, but there’s hope it could in the future.
The problem is time is ticking on Drake Maye’s rookie contract. The No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft is every bit as good, if not better, than the Patriots hoped he’d be. There’s a window to load up the roster with talent and compete now.
So the Patriots aren’t in a position to sit around waiting for the coaches to figure it out. Mayo is likely safe in the offseason, but crazier things have happened in the league. What if the Patriots hit the abort button on Mayo’s run in New England?
Here are five coaching candidates who make sense as potential replacements:
Kyle Shanahan
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
This is a pipe dream scenario for the Patriots. It would all hinge on the 49ers making the ridiculous decision to fire Kyle Shanahan as head coach.
Shanahan has the team competitive every year, but he hasn’t been able to get them over the Super Bowl hump. Things have nosedived even worse this season with the team sitting at 5-7 and facing a real possibility of missing the playoffs.
Perhaps it’s time for the 49ers to go in a different direction. That’s probably just wishful thinking, but if it happened, the Patriots should be one among many teams looking for an opportunity to pounce.
Mike Vrabel
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
There’s a large section of the Patriots’ fan base who believe the team should have hired Mike Vrabel from the very beginning. The former Tennessee Titans head coach was fired unexpectedly, and the Titans have looked even worse since he left.
Vrabel is a solid coach who took the Titans to three straight playoff appearances. Things got rough in his final two seasons with the team after Ryan Tannehill fell off a cliff at quarterback. It would be a feel-good story to see him return to New England after being inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame last year.
Ben Johnson
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
The Patriots have leaned so heavily on defensive coaching that maybe it’s time for them to shake things up. Current Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a surefire candidate for a head coaching gig. He has had tremendous success in revitalizing Jared Goff and turning the Lions offense into the best in the league.
Imagine that kind of offensive mind working with Drake Maye in New England. The Patriots would need to hire a more experienced defensive coordinator to work along with Johnson, but it would be an intriguing move for the Patriots that would come with the risk of hiring another first-year head coach.
Joe Brady
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Joe Brady has a strong track record with quarterbacks. He worked with Joe Burrow at LSU as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
Then he took his talents to the NFL to join Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. He worked his way up from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Allen currently looks like an MVP candidate, and the Bills are one of the best teams in football.
Brian Flores
Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores called a perfect game as the defensive play-caller for the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII win over the Los Angeles Rams. His defense shut down a high-powered Rams offense by holding them to only a field goal in the game.
After the win, Flores jumped ship for a coaching opportunity with the Miami Dolphins. It was during a time when the Dolphins were rebuilding with a rookie Tua Tagovailoa under center. The team looked much different back then than it does now.
Joining the Patriots with an unsettled roster would be a risk for Flores, but he’d be taking it with another talented young quarterback.
