The Patriots owner fired the team's former head coach immediately after Week 18 last season.
After defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the Wild Card game Sunday night, the New England Patriots have shifted focus to Sunday afternoon's Divisional Round matchup against the Houston Texans. This victory has kept the Patriots in the headlines throughout the week.
Outside of that, the organization marked another anniversary in the days leading up to the second round of the playoffs. One year ago, Mike Vrabel officially became the Patriots' head coach.
It was a move that began to generate some buzz in the final month of the 2024 regular season as it became clear then-head coach and former player Jerod Mayo was not working out for the long run with the team.
The Patriots went 4-13 in 2024. They would win in Week 18 and oust themselves from a number one pick in the draft in 2025. Right after their 23-16 win, team owner Robert Kraft told Jerod Mayo, a man he put a lot of faith, patience, and confidence in, that his services were no longer needed.
Mike Vrabel would be announced as the team's new head coach a week later.
Kraft has never publicly spoken much about having to fire Mayo after only one year as the team's head coach. As it turns out, it was a move that took an emotional toll but also a huge financial one on the franchise.
Kraft appeared on The Quick Snap Podcast with former backup QB Brian Hoyer to discuss the hard decision and its payoff.
"I look at our family as custodians of a public asset," Kraft said when asked about working through that transition. "I'm very fond of Jerod (Mayo). That was one of the hardest decisions, because to fire a guy after one year—and by the way, it was very expensive because of not only his contract but also 25 other coaches. It was the worst financial implication since we've owned the team."
The Mayo firing was the only time a head coach lasted one year under Kraft's ownership. Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, and most likely Mike Vrabel are the only ones to stick around a little longer.
"I'm a fan first, and I thought, this just isn't the right situation," Kraft told Hoyer.
The costly move paid off, though. The Patriots went from a team that looked like a minor league football team to a Super Bowl contender, all because Kraft went with his gut and got the right man for the job in Mike Vrabel.