The Patriots aren’t ready to decide whether or not they’ll entrust Jerod Mayo with another season as head coach, but the mood appears to be shifting.

New England appears to be leaning toward keeping the status quo, according to multiple reports, but as we move closer and closer to an eventual decision needing to be made, the overall vibe has shifted.

Mayo went from just needing to play out the string, to needing to show marked improvement if he wants another shot at this thing.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini provided some more context on Friday, which backs up recent reports from Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi:

“I believe that Jerod Mayo needs to put out a really good coaching performance to wrap up the season,” Russini said. “… I don’t think they’re looking at this, like, ‘This season doesn’t matter.’ I think they want to see that he can do it, but a lot of owners are hesitant to make moves unless they feel like they’ve got a better option. You have to wonder if Kraft thinks there’s someone out there that could come in and possibly be better.”

Robert Kraft clearly values having a relationship with his head coach, as their connection has been touted ever since the 38-year-old was introduced into his new role back in January. Jonathan Kraft, however, reportedly isn’t as on board with keeping things the same.

Robert and Jonathan don’t agree, so they’re going to let everything play out as much as possible before ultimately making a decision.

It’s kind of obvious, no?

Mayo isn’t exactly in the best spot, which you can probably tell by looking at the upcoming schedule. The Patriots are looking for “improvements” before matchups with the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers and… oh boy, the Bills for a second time. It’d be nearly impossible for most coaches to suddenly end lead a 3-11 team to victories over those clubs, so if the first-year man can do it, maybe he should hold onto his job.

It doesn’t seem likely, though, does it?