Jerod Mayo Asks Patriots Fans For 'Patience' As Team Undergoes Rebuild

The rookie head coach has a tall task in front of him and hopes the fan base will be patient as the process unfolds.

Jerod Mayo / Maddie Meyer/GettyImages

The New England Patriots are embarking on a full-blown rebuild for the first time in a very long time. It is undoubtedly a tough pill to swallow for New England fans. But, all things considered, the franchise entered the offseason in a pretty good position to bounce back after going 4-13 in 2023. The Patriots had the most cap space in the NFL when free agency kicked off earlier this month and will pick third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

There have not been many big changes to the roster as of yet, though. New England did not make any waves on the free agent market, choosing instead to prioritize re-signing their own players. The new players they did bring in are considered safe signings on cheap deals, like Jacoby Brissett (one year, $8 million) and K.J. Osborn (one year, $4 million). The organization was in the running for Calvin Ridley's services in an effort to reinforce the league's worst wide receiver core, but lost out. Ridley would sign with the Tennessee Titans instead.

The team's outspoken fan base has not been pleased with the lack of sweeping changes. It makes for a lot of noise for new head coach Jerod Mayo to deal with. Speaking to media on Monday, the former Patriots linebacker asked fans for patience as they try to embark upon the rebuild "the right way."

"For Patriot fans, look, I understand the frustration. I understand the expectation that has been really built over the last 20 years. But at the same time, hopefully the fans understand that we're trying to build this the right way. And we're trying to bring in pieces that we think are for the long term. I think there's a combination between bringing people in for the short term, but also you have to think long term, that's always the hard thing to do.

"I would just ask Patriots fans for patience. Once again, there will be players that hit the wire, free agents, guys that are explosive, whatever you want to say, there will be guys in the draft, there will be guys after the draft. So just sit back and kind of, you know, let us do our job going forward."

It's a difficult balancing act for Mayo. He's the successor to Bill Belichick, arguably the greatest coach in NFL history, who ran the organization from top to bottom for two decades. Mayo is tasked with installing a new way of life in Foxborough while also working with the front office to build a competitive roster. In addition, angry Bostonians will spend all day on sports talk radio asking why he hasn't fixed everything yet.

Patience is required for this process. New England is quite talented defensively with a few cornerstone players like Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez already in place. But they are starting from zero (or close to it) on offense. The Patriots need a long-term answer at quarterback and both tackle positions. The receiver room needs a complete overhaul. There are too many questions to all be answered in one offseason, even with the plentiful resources Mayo has at his disposal.

The franchise should be better in 2024 than they were in 2023. That does not mean the Patriots are going to immediately turn the ship around. But expectations are always high in New England. Time will tell if Mayo gets the patience he is asking for.

Liam McKeone is a staff writer at The Big Lead.