Stepping into Bill Belichick’s shoes as the New England Patriots head coach was always going to be an uphill battle, but no one expected it to end after just one 4–13 season for Jerod Mayo. Looking back, Patriots owner Robert Kraft actually admitted to feeling a wave of guilt about how it all went down. He realised he had essentially handed his former linebacker a lose-lose situation by fast-tracking him into the high-pressure role without enough support.

But today, instead of grinding his way back up the NFL assistant coaching ladder, Mayo walked away from football entirely. He is officially back in the corporate world, where he previously thrived.

The former Patriots head coach is now the managing director at Fifth Down Capital, a private equity and business capital firm.

“Following his playing career, Jerod served as Vice President of Business Development at Optum for three years,” Fifth Down Capital’s website said about Mayo. “He later transitioned into coaching with the Patriots in 2019, holding a series of leadership roles on the defensive staff. In 2024, he was named Head Coach of the New England Patriots, becoming the first former Patriots player to serve in that role.”

Mayo spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Patriots. He built an impressive résumé that included two Pro Bowl selections, a First-Team All-Pro honor, the 2008 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and a Super Bowl championship. After retiring, he remained with the organization and spent five seasons as New England’s linebackers coach. With that, he also earned praise as one of the league’s rising coaching talents.

However, his first opportunity as a head coach clearly proved far more challenging. Tasked with succeeding the legendary Bill Belichick, Mayo faced immense expectations but was unable to replicate his previous success, finishing with a 4-13 record in his lone season at the helm.

Immediately after joining the Patriots, he stated that the Patriots would “burn some cash” in free agency, which was soon amended by expressing that the team would spend wisely. Similarly, he named current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett as the starter despite declaring that rookie Drake Maye had outplayed the veteran on the field, per Boston.com.

Mayo’s assessment stemmed from Maye’s preseason statistics, but the North Carolina product had to wait till Week 6 to get the QB1. These comments to the media were considered a step away from the Patriots’ way, as the franchise, under Belichick, preferred to share limited information in the public space.

Instead, the former Patriots linebacker used the media to call out the team and even described them as a “soft football team.” This public scrutiny, coupled with poor results, led to the anger of fans who chanted “fire Mayo” at Gillette Stadium during a 40-7 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17.

As Jerod Mayo’s firing was announced, Robert Kraft expressed feeling “guilty” for putting his former player in an “untenable” position, per The Athletic. Then, a year later, during an appearance on The Quick Snap podcast, Kraft further explained how that decision turned out to be his worst financial decision as the Patriots owner.

“I’m very fond of Jerod,” Kraft said. “I would say that was one of the one or two hardest decisions (I’ve made), because to fire a guy after one year, and by the way, it was very expensive, because it was not only his contract but 25 other coaches. It’s the worst financial implication since we’ve owned the team.”

Moving forward from the Mayo debacle, the Patriots found a lifeline in Mike Vrabel as he led New England to a historic single-season turnaround. Under Vrabel, the Patriots finished 14-3, won the division, and made it to the Super Bowl. On the other hand, Mayo has also found his next challenge as the managing director at Fifth Down Capital. However, this isn’t the first time the former Patriots linebacker has worked outside the gridiron.

When Jerod Mayo worked as a VP of business development

Jerod Mayo entered the NFL as the 10th overall pick in the 2008 draft and spent his entire NFL career in New England before retiring in 2015. The star Tennessee linebacker featured in 103 games during his career and recorded 905 total tackles while winning the 2014 Super Bowl.

Before taking over as the Patriots’ head coach in 2024, Mayo spent several years in the corporate world. He served as Optum’s Vice President of Business Development from 2015 to 2018. In fact, during his introductory press conference at Gillette Stadium, Mayo credited that experience with helping shape his leadership skills.

“One thing I came back with, I learned a lot at Optum,” Mayo said in his introductory presser as the Patriots head coach in 2024. “I learned a lot about diversity, about diversity and inclusion. You’d better believe being the first Black coach here in New England means a lot to me. But those guys taught me you have to take ideas from other people, Black, white, green, and yellow. Really doesn’t matter. Old, young.”

Now, looking back at the Jerod Mayo era in New England, both sides have bounced back well. The Patriots surged to a 14-3 record and a Super Bowl berth under Mike Vrabel. Whereas Mayo returned to the business world as managing director at Fifth Down Capital. A tough split, but a fresh start for everyone involved.