The New England Patriots have gotten progressively worse since the Tom Brady era officially ended in 2019, and there is a growing sense that their ownership group is preparing to make more major changes.
The Patriots fell to 3-11 with their 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. One of New England’s worst sequences came when they were trailing 16-3 late in the third quarter and had the ball at the Cardinals’ 4-yard line. The Patriots were stuffed on 3rd-and-1 and then 4th-and-1, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Following the fourth down play, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his son, team president Jonathan Kraft, were shown on the CBS broadcast. Jonathan appeared to tell Robert that “the playcalling is terrible.”
“play calling is terrible” pic.twitter.com/rwXphErE6j
— brianna pirre (@bsp_13) December 15, 2024
Jerod Mayo seemed to agree. The Patriots head coach was asked whether a quarterback sneak was a consideration when the team only needed one yard. Mayo responded in a way that blatantly threw offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt under the bus.
For what it’s worth, Jonathan Kraft has reportedly taken a more active role in overseeing football operations with the Patriots this season. Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal wrote last week that the younger Kraft has been trying to figure out the best course of action for giving Drake Maye the support the rookie quarterback needs.
A reminder of what I wrote Monday: "While Robert might have initially been the one making calls around the league, I'm told that Jonathan has been the driving force since then; if you'll recall, there's been some different reporting on the purpose of those calls. The initial…
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) December 15, 2024
If Jonathan is now running the show for the Patriots, it is not a good sign for Mayo, Van Pelt, or anyone else on the coaching staff that Kraft was so openly disgusted on Sunday.
There have been conflicting reports about whether the Patriots would fire Mayo after just one season, but the seat appears to be getting warmer by the day.
