Patriots owner Robert Kraft delivers verdict on replacing Bill Belichick with Jerod Mayo

Bill Belichick has been the New England Patriots coach since 200, but owner Robert Kraft has replaced him with Jerod Mayo for the 2024-2025 season. It's the first time a new head coach will patrol the sidelines in over two decades. That is a big change for a franchise that hasn't had a whole lot of it in that time.

This could go one of two ways, as any head coach hiring can. He can either be the future and bring the team to a new place and lead them successfully, or he can fail and eventually be fired himself. The latter is unlikely, at least according to Kraft.

According to reporter Tom Pelissero, the owner feels the same way he does hiring Mayo as he did when he first gave Belichick the job:

"I've learned to trust my instincts throughout my career, and I trust Jerod is the right person to lead the Patriots back to championship-level contention and long-term success."

That's high praise for a first-time head coach, but Kraft feels confident that the former player is the man best equipped to bring the Patriots to a new age and rebuild them.

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Jerod Mayo has big shoes to fill

Equipped with the third overall pick, the New England Patriots could look very different soon. The expectation is that they will look for a quarterback to replace Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, and they have a new head coach and will have a new GM as well.

New England Patriots Introduce Jerod Mayo as Head Coach

Jerod Mayo is the man tabbed with heading all of this up. He's been picked to replace arguably the greatest head coach in NFL history and to revitalize a fan base that is quite accustomed to success.

These past few years have been very different in Foxboro, as the franchise with six Super Bowl rings has not been to the playoffs but once since Tom Brady left in 2019. Mayo will have to replace Belichick and turn the franchise around and restore its glory.