Patriots Great Speaks on Jerod Mayo

A New England Patriots great spoke out about the job Jerod Mayo is doing so far.

August 8, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo watches the action on the field during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Jerod Mayo and the New England Patriots began a new era of football for the franchise this season.

Following the decision to part ways with legendary head coach Bill Belichick, it didn't take long for Robert Kraft and company to decide that Mayo was the guy to lead them forward.

To begin the season, the Patriots picked up a huge upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals. However, they have lost three straight games since that win. Over their last two outings, New England has been blown out badly.

With fans starting to get restless, former team star Julian Edelman has spoken out about the job that Mayo has done. It's clear that he's a fan of what the new head coach is doing.

"I think Jerod's been doing a good job. This is a hard situation for anyone. Just jump in after arguably the best coach of all time, take over a team — and it's not like he's taken over a well-equipped team. There's a lot of holes in there. The defense has always played strong, to come out and get a win against Cincinnati was big."

Despite hope from fans that the Patriots would avoid a "rebuild," Edelman stated strongly that the team is absolutely going through one.

"I think it is a good learning experience for this organization, this team, where you know if you're going to lose, yet, let's learn from these losses. Let's try to just continue to improve what we got to improve and not worry about the wins and losses, but tighten up things that we're not necessarily doing great on and use it to potentially build depth for the future. Have guys that don't get opportunities get some of those opportunities because they're going to have a lot of money they're going to have to spend next year."

Basically, Edelman is saying that the 2024 season is all about growth with a new coach and hopefully from a young franchise quarterback.

Drake Maye is expected to start at some point this season. That isn't a guarantee, but New England is working hard to get him reps in practice and he has seen a drive of in-game action so far in the first four weeks.

Mayo was never going to come in and immediately make the Patriots a Super Bowl contender. Belichick didn't have the team playing at that level over the last couple of years. That is what led to his departure.

Losing is frustrating. It's frustrating for the fans, players, coaches, and ownership. But, while New England will take its lumps this season, they are building for the future.

There are a lot of things to be excited about with young players and the potential to spend and bring in proven talent in the offseason. No one should panic.

The 2024 season is not about winning big, it's about establishing a new culture and preparing young players to take the team to a competitive level over the next couple of years.