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.

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

After the stunning firing of Jerod Mayo, Patriots owner Robert Kraft took the blame for a mess of a season in New England.

That's some way to celebrate a win in your season finale. The New England Patriots (4-13) beat the Buffalo Bills (13-4) to round out their 2024 NFL season in a 23-16 final. The game was meaningless for

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.

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

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.

Kraft sure seemed to imply that it was easier to fire the greatest coach in NFL history than it was to fire Mayo.

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.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Monday blamed himself for having to fire Jerod Mayo, saying he put the first-year head coach in an "untenable" situation.

In a statement, Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said it was one of the hardest decisions he’s had to make. He added that he’s known Mayo for 17 years, but the team’s performance did not go as he hoped. Kraft has called a 1 p.m. news conference on Monday, which will air live on WPRI 12 and streaming live on the team’s website.