Entering the season finale against the Buffalo Bills with a 3-13 record and surrounded by speculation about head coach Jerod Mayo’s future, the New England Patriots won a 23-16 victory. The win neither allowed the team to keep the No. 1 pick in the draft, nor did it save Mayo from getting fired seemingly just minutes after leaving the podium.
It was a wild way to finish what was an underwhelming 2024 season for the organization. There will be plenty of time in the offseason to analyze where things went wrong, but for now, let’s focus on the events transpiring Sunday both on and off the field.
Takeaways from Jerod Mayo’s firing
Patriots had no choice but to fire Jerod Mayo: The Patriots didn’t waste any time in moving on from Jerod Mayo, firing him just over an hour after the game ended on Sunday. It was immediately followed by a long statement from owner Robert Kraft, which makes it look like the decision was made well before the game against Buffalo.
If so, you cannot blame Kraft. The situation in Foxboro had simply become untenable, all while Mayo appeared to have lost control of the team.
There were constant mental mistakes, and at times it appeared players were not pushed hard enough. Mayo’s mishaps speaking with the media ranged from bizarre to downright embarrassing, and the fanbase had began to sour on the rookie head coach. The Krafts were left with little to no choice, and they were forced to admit their mistake of hiring Mayo in the first place, and get rid of the first-year head coach.
Obviously, you never want someone to lose their job. However, it was obvious that Mayo was in over his head, and that the Patriots — if they are serious about being competitive with a promising young quarterback under center — need to find somebody better to serve as their 16th head coach.
Patriots cannot afford ‘Vrabel or bust’ coaching search: The Patriots now have a vacancy atop their coaching staff, and the obvious follow-up question is who are they going to bring in to fill it. It seems a lot of fans want the next coach to be former Pats linebacker and ex-Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, but I am not totally sold on that plan for one simple reason: the Krafts need to do a thorough search, and interview as many people as possible for the job if only to expand their horizon after a quarter century of the Bill Belichick-type Patriot Way.
Also, if the team is actually going to keep Wolf as its quasi-general manager, he should be the one to pick the coach, not the owner. We will see how things pan out, but whoever they bring in, they need to change the culture in the locker room and change the mindset of what was an overall soft team.
Eliot Wolf the right guy as GM? At least for now, the expectation is that Eliot Wolf will remain in place as executive vice president of player personnel. Whether or not that is the correct decision for this team can be questioned.
Wolf certainly hit on the Drake Maye pick at No. 3 overall in the draft, and an argument can be made based on Sunday’s performance that the Joe Milton pick was smart as well. Outside of those two selections, however, New England’s offseason seems to have produced far more misses than hits particularly in regards to the “draft and develop” approach frequently mentioned by Wolf.
The Ja’Lynn Polk pick looks like a disaster, especially when combined with the play of Ladd McConkey in Los Angeles, who was selected in the spot that the Patriots traded out of. Wolf said that they had viewed Polk as a plug-and-play prospect, so was this a failure on the scouting department’s side or on the coaching staff? The same can be said for Caedan Wallace, who was picked as a left tackle even though he hadn’t done that since his freshman year at Penn State.
Then there’s Chukwuma Okorafor. Obviously, Wolf could not have predicted that Okorafor would leave the team fairly early in the season, but there were a few tackles around that same level this offseason, and they seemed to have, once again, picked the wrong one.
With another top-5 pick, around $130 million in projected salary cap space, and the pressure from media and fans building, a franchise-shaping offseason lies ahead for the Patriots. They need the right guy steering the ship, and Wolf has yet to prove he can be that guy.
Takeaways from the Patriots’ win over the Bills
Joe Milton balls out: Drake Maye started the game, but came out after just one drive, and was replaced by fellow rookie Joe Milton, who got his first NFL regular season action against Buffalo. Milton looked fantastic and significantly more comfortable and confident with what he was doing on the field. His accuracy also looked much improved, his arm is just different, and he can make throws that almost no other guys can make.
The throw to DeMario Douglas that ended up not counting was ridiculous, and the touchdown to Kayshon Boutte thrown across his body on a rope might have been even better.
Milton is not going to challenge Drake Maye anytime soon, but his progress this season is very impressive, and the Patriots might have a legitimate backup QB that other teams could be interested in trading for. He’s an athletic freak, as evidenced by his trademark backflip after his rushing touchdown, and if he can figure out the passing, he could be a legitimate starting QB in the NFL.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt caught a ton of flack this season, and he himself admitted his play-calling wasn’t always on point. The work he and his staff did with both Maye and Milton was impressive, though.
Non-competitive Bills built foundation for Patriots win: The Patriots would have locked up the No. 1 pick in the draft with a loss, but there wasn’t much more they could have done to lose to the Bills on Sunday. New England took Drake Maye and Michael Onwenu out after just one series, didn’t play Rhamondre Stevenson, and was without Hunter Henry and Christian Gonzalez. They played a significant number of backups for most of the game, and weren’t very aggressive in their play calling.
Unfortunately, the Bills simply wanted to lose more. After announcing a who’s who of healthy scratches before the game, they started Josh Allen, but pulled him after a single snap. Then, when Mitchell Trubisky showed a few signs of life for the Bills offense, they switched to Mike White to all but ensure the loss.
It was a smart move by the Bills, who didn’t care whether or not they won, and had to relish the boos that rained down when the Patriots took a knee to seal the victory. They were able to ruin the Kansas City Chiefs’ perfect season, and also knock the Patriots out of the No. 1 pick. That’s one heck of a regular season, and now they get a chance to make it an even better one in the playoffs.
Caedan Wallace looking rough at right tackle: Third-round rookie offensive tackle Caedan Wallace has had an up and down year. He has been hurt for a good chunk of the season, and, even when he got healthy, he’s had a hard time getting on the field.
When he did get an extended chance to play on Sunday, he looked bad. He committed multiple penalties, and was beat a few times as well.
He does play with a certain edge, and he had a few pancake blocks mixed in there as well, but it was a tough day all around. He’s just a rookie, and could certainly improve, but it’s hard to imagine trusting him to be the starting right (or left) tackle going into next season.
This means that the Patriots are going to have to go out and get two starting tackles for next season. Drafting a guy in the third round doesn’t mean you are always going to hit, but you would like to have him at least push to compete for a job even as a rookie. Maybe he will do that next year and without any injury setbacks, but whoever is in charge trusting him to do that after what he put on tape this season cannot be counted on either.
Apparent Jahlani Tavai benching one final act of accountability: After having some colorful things to say this week, including that fans needed to “know their place” — and then doubling down on it when he was answering questions in the locker room — linebacker Jahlani Tavai did not get the start on Sunday.
It was one rare and final act of accountability, but it just seemed to be too little, too late. It remains to be seen what all of that means for Tavai’s future in New England; he remains under contract through 2027 after signing an extension in July. He had a tough season, but he also has played well when put in the correct position (i.e. not trying to fill in for Ja’Whaun Bentley).
Kayshon Boutte has a career day: The Patriots have a lot of holes to fill for next season, but Kayshon Boutte is pushing for a spot close to the top of the receiver depth chart moving forward. Consistency is still a question with him, but he had a bunch of really bright moments this season, and a real case for being a part of the receiving corps moving forward.
It remains to be seen if he is ever going to be a real answer for the Patriots, but on a team desperate for play makers, Boutte made a strong case that he could be one of those guys moving forward. His career day on Sunday, which saw him catch seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, was further proof of that.
Cornerback depth looks surprisingly good: The Patriots were playing against Mitchell Trubisky and Mike White, but their depth cornerbacks still played well on Sunday. Alex Austin, Marcellas Dial, and Isaiah Bolden all had decent games.
The Patriots are in need of another cornerback or two, especially if they decide to not bring back free agent Jonathan Jones, but it is still good to see their young guys play well. Dial especially, who had a good tackle at the goal line, played well, and could be in line for some defensive snaps next season. That does not mean that they don’t need help, but it was nice to see the young guys play well.
Of course, the question now become what will happen with cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino.
It’s (mock) draft season: With the Patriots locking up the No. 4 pick in the draft, mock draft season has officially began. Although the trade possibilities at No. 1 would have been a ton of fun, the arguments over who the Patriots should target at 4 — and which position is most important — will be enjoyable as well.
Let’s all try to be civil about it, though, and have fun learning about a ton of different prospects this offseason. When your team stinks, at least you can have some real fun looking at all of the players available, hoping that one of them will be yours next year.
Let’s all enjoy the offseason, and happy draft season.
