The Patriots wrapped up their 2024 season with a win over the Buffalo Bills. Then the news broke
As players trickled out of the team locker room and departed Gillette Stadium, Robert Kraft announced that he fired Jerod Mayo after one year on the job.
The statement came out just before 5:30 p.m., roughly 90 minutes after the Patriots lost the No. 1 draft pick by beating their division rival. Local fans booed as their team won and squandered a better draft pick.
What a difference a year makes.
Almost a year later, the Patriots wrapped up the 2025 season by blowing out the Miami Dolphins, finishing with a 14-3 record and locking in the No. 2 seed in the AFC. No one was booing when the Patriots were playing well on this Sunday. Instead, the stadium erupted in “MVP!” chants for Drake Maye as Mike Vrabel led his team, in his first season as head coach, to one of the best records in the NFL.
For the players who were in Foxborough a year ago, when news broke about Mayo’s departure, the turnaround this season has been nothing short of remarkable.
“Yeah, it was sad. That was cold,” safety Jaylinn Hawkins said. “That was a crazy thing that happened last year, and this year is completely different. It’s a big turnaround. A complete 360. Things happen like that.
“It’s been hella fun.”
After finishing with 14 wins, the Patriots tied an NFL record for the best turnaround in NFL history with a 10-game difference. They tie the 1999 Indianapolis Colts and the 2008 Dolphins.
How is it possible? For players, the extraordinary turnaround boils down to a few things, and it starts at the top with Vrabel. The common explanation comes down to “culture,” “identity” and “buy-in.”
Under Mayo a year ago, buy-in was a struggle for the Patriots. A first-year head coach with no coordinator experience, the messaging wasn’t always cohesive. Players personally liked Mayo and his energy, but there were signs from the beginning that the coach was out of his depth. One source told MassLive this past summer that, unlike in 2024, everyone was bought in with Vrabel from the beginning.
The reason for that was due to his plan.
The veteran coach came to New England with a clear focus on what he wanted in his players and what he wanted his team identity to be. The Patriots’ front office focused on adding good players who were also good people in the locker room. They signed several former captains and willing mentors. They brought in players who fit the desired offensive and defensive systems.
When asked what the biggest reason for the Patriots’ turnover this season was, players said it was obvious.
“I think it starts from the top down,” Maye said. “From the Krafts, them deciding to hire Coach Vrabel, bringing him in here and really just buying into what he was coaching us hard and coaching us to believe in. I think from there, it’s us players. We got some new players in here, some new faces that have gelled together really well.”
“I think obviously Vrabes,” tight end Hunter Henry added. “He brought a culture and identity that we all just really all took and applied it. He’s done a lot of good things, and just the guys in this locker room have taken it and applied it.”
Vrabel’s team identity isn’t a secret as it’s plastered on the Patriots’ main meeting room. It reads:
— No. 1: Effort and finish
— No. 2: Ball Security & ball disruption
— No. 3: Details, techniques and fundamentals
— No. 4: Make great decisions
Vrabel preaches “team first” with his players. It’s not dissimilar from when Bill Belichick’s “Do Your Job” motto, but it rings different with this head coach. In New England, players need to be selfless and put the team first. Sometimes, that means sacrifice.
On this roster, players have grown close and openly root for one another.
“It’s crazy,” receiver DeMario Douglas said of the team turnaround. “The team camaraderie, how close we are, how together we are, the energy that we have and that we bring. Everybody is accepting their role and playing their role.
“I think it’s culture,” Hawkins added. “We came in, and the culture that was implemented in the program was just big. We all bought in as grown men. No egos. We all knew what it was. We had the same vision. Week by week, we just believed, and no matter what happened, we believed and stuck to the script. Now, we’re here. We’ve got to keep going.”
With a slew of free agent additions and a solid rookie class, Vrabel also put together an experienced coaching staff. On offense, the group is led by Josh McDaniels, but he works with three other coaches who have offensive coordinator experience (Doug Marrone, Thomas Brown and Todd Downing).
On defense, the staff is filled with coaches who worked with Vrabel and in his defensive system in Tennessee. The combination of knowledge and experience helped. That’s not something that happened last year, as Mayo had an inexperienced staff with first-time coordinators. As the 2024 season wore on, multiple players grew frustrated with their position coaches, according to multiple sources.
“Coach Vrabel came in — and he had a plan,” receiver Kayshon Boutte said. “The way he believed, I feel like everybody bought in. He brought in some good guys with him, coordinators, assistants. They all put us in positions to be successful. It’s the stuff you all don’t see behind the scenes, but they work hard for us.”
“It’s crazy,” right guard Michael Onwenu added. “Obviously, we got a bunch of new staff, a bunch of new people on the team. Really, got a lot of buy-in and a lot of great players who have been on other teams. Collectively, we all came together and had a mission and a goal this season.”
On Jan. 5, 2024, the Patriots fired their head coach after another four-win season.
On Jan. 4, 2025, the Patriots won their 14th game and head to the playoffs tied for the best record in the NFL.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Henry said. “What a difference a year can make.”
Story by Mark Daniels, MassLive.com.