Two hours after the New England Patriots victory against AFC East rival Buffalo Bills, ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced the news that had become expected: Patriots fired HC Jerod Mayo, league sources tell ESPN.

Joe Milton III passed for a touchdown and ran for another in his NFL debut, and the New England Patriots cost themselves the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft with a 23-16 win over the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills.

Just hours after their season-ending Week 18 victory over the Buffalo Bills that cost them the #1 overall pick in next spring's NFL Draft, the New England

Former New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski ripped the organization's decision to fire head coach Jerod Mayo after one season at the helm.

FOXBOROUGH – Jerod Mayo didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. On Sunday evening, Mayo addressed his players in the locker room following the team’s win over the Buffalo Bills. After meeting with the media, in his post-game press conference, Mayo departed where he met with ownership and was fired after one season as the Patriots head coach.

Additionally, Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, is another name that could be in the mix. The Patriots have reportedly requested permission to interview Johnson about the vacancy left by Mayo, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

The Patriots have fired their head coach after just one season in charge of the team, with the former New England linebacker failing to turn the franchise's fortunes around

Joe Milton scored two touchdowns after relieving a healthy Maye in the first quarter to push the Patriots to a 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. As a result, though, the Patriots will hold pick No. 4 in the 2025 NFL Draft. A loss to the Bills would’ve given New England the No. 1 pick.

The 2024 Patriots suffered through two six-game losing streaks, and one of their four wins came against the Bills’ backups in a game Buffalo showed no interest in winning. That season-ending victory did more harm than good for New England, as it knocked the Patriots from first to fourth in the 2025 NFL Draft order.

Jerod Mayo is out as head coach of the Patriots after just one season, but there is plenty of blame to go around in New England.

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick was asked to weigh in on the New England Patriots firing his successor, Jerod Mayo, after only one season as head coach when appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday.