Patriots are ‘leaning’ toward firing Jerod Mayo

Could Sunday’s season finale against the Bills be Jerod Mayo’s final game as Patriots head coach?

Longtime NFL insider Adam Schefter seems to believe it could be a possibility. 

During a segment on ESPN’s “NFL Countdown,” where Schefter mapped out the job security of several coaches on the hot seat, Schefter said that he believes New England is “leaning” toward firing Mayo. 

“Now, all along the Kraft family has wanted to stand by him and give him support,” Schefter said. ”He was the hand-chosen successor to Bill Belichick. 

“But over the last 30 days or so, the team has struggled, they’ve lost at home, fans have been angered, they’ve been apathetic and it feels like within the organization, there’s been a shift. There’s nervous people inside the building right now, and we are going to go leaning out right now for Jerod Mayo.” 

Schefter’s report marks the latest in what seems to be a changing consensus on Mayo’s uneven standing in Foxborough amid what has been a disastrous season. 

In late December, NFL insider Ian Rapoport signaled that Mayo’s job was safe amid his first full year as a head coach — but put in a qualifier about just how New England closed out its season. 

“The Krafts want to keep Jerod Mayo,” Rapoport said. “They believe he is the leader for the organization for the future, and they knew it would be a multi-year process to get this thing right. 

“Now if things go off the rails, if they really start to struggle and he loses the locker room the last couple games of the season, we’ve seen this thing turn. But as of now, the Patriots believe Jerod Mayo is their leader for the future.”

Fair to say, things have derailed down the home stretch for New England, especially after dropping an uncompetitive 40-7 loss to the Chargers in Week 17. 

Speaking earlier this week, former Patriots safety Devin McCourty seemed to signal that Mayo and New England’s coaching staff are walking on thin ice. 

“Just from talking to those guys, I do feel like they feel they’re coaching to make sure that they’re back. I don’t think there’s this feeling of, ‘Hey, we’re safe, we’re good,’” McCourty said on the “Up and Adams” show. “I think there is a little bit of a sense of urgency and an edge from everybody there because a lot of those guys were players, they were in New England.

“They understand how things work and how you have to have a sense of urgency and there’s a standard to be met. So they’re definitely coaching their butts off and trying to stick around.”