Belichick: Patriots had 'shared vision' until Brady left
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said it was "no surprise" the team fired Jerod Mayo after one season, suggesting the organization hasn't been able to get on the same page since quarterback Tom Brady left.
"There's so many coaches now that are being released after a year, year-and-a-half, or two years. ... When you don't have any continuity, it's really hard to build," Belichick said on the the "Let's Go!" podcast Monday.
The 72-year-old added, "You need that shared vision between ownership and coaching and scouting. And that's when you can be successful. ... I had that up until about the last four years in New England. And when you have that shared vision and everybody pulling in the same direction, you have a chance and you can get a lot done."
Belichick was head coach of the Patriots from 2000 until he and the franchise mutually agreed to part ways in January 2024. He won six Super Bowls during his tenure, all with Brady as the team's starting passer.
Brady famously left the team ahead of the 2020 season, signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Patriots signed Cam Newton and drafted Mac Jones to fill Brady's shoes. New England mustered a 29-38 record in Belichick's four years without Brady, including three losing seasons. 2020 marked the first time since Belichick's inaugural season with New England that the Patriots finished under .500.
"When you're going in different directions, then that makes it really hard to keep up with everybody else. I think you look at the organizations and you can kind of see the ones that are and the ones that aren't," Belichick said.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft picked Mayo to lead the team without conducting a coaching search. Kraft said he felt the "same conviction" hiring the former inside linebackers coach as he did originally hiring Belichick. The longtime owner fired Mayo on Sunday after the first-year head coach posted a 4-13 record.
"This whole situation is on me," Kraft said Monday. "I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation."
New England is looking for its third head coach in three seasons. Belichick will helm North Carolina next season, his first-ever coaching job in college football.