Saturday’s Week 17 loss to the Chargers was a new low for the 2024 Patriots, falling to Los Angeles 40-7 at Gillette Stadium as fans chanted “FIRE MAYO” throughout the fourth quarter.
And with the New York Giants winning their Week 17 game on Sunday against the Colts, the 3-13 Patriots are now in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
If the Patriots lose to the Bills on Sunday, it will mark the third-shortest gap between winning a Super Bowl (2018) and qualifying for the top pick in the draft in NFL history.
It’s almost hard to believe that it’s gotten this bad, this quickly for the once heralded franchise in Foxborough, but it’s a reality both first-year head coach Jerod Mayo and team ownership have to accept and attempt to correct, especially with a stud QB on a rookie contract in Drake Maye on the roster.
As the franchise wraps up its fifth full season post-Brady, adding a No. 1 pick to their asset pile - not exactly chock-full of valuable pieces - could help jumpstart a rebuild-effort that has seemingly been stuck in the mud since their playoff loss to Buffalo in 2021.
One way to help ensure that happens would be by sitting Maye on Sunday against Buffalo, especially with the Bills likely to sit most of their regular starters, as their playoff position as the No. 2 seed in the AFC is already locked in place.
When Mayo joined The Greg Hill Show on Monday for his weekly “Patriots Monday” appearance, the 38-year-old head coach was noncommittal on what the status of his 22-year-old quarterback would be for Sunday.
“There are a lot of things on the table,” said Mayo when asked about the possibility of benching Maye. “And look - it’s, what is it, Monday? Playing on a Saturday, my days kind of get messed up. Today’s Monday, so we have time to have those conversations.”
“How many people are involved in those conversations?” asked WEEI’s Meghan Ottolini.
“We have multiple staff meetings every single day, and so those conversations come up,” said Mayo. “Ultimately, it’s my decision. At the same time, those conversations happen every day.”
“Is there an emphasis in Sunday’s game against the Bills to try to get more of a look at some of the younger guys, or some of the guys who have gotten less [playing] time throughout the season, to see what you have going into the [offseason]?” Ottolini followed up.
“I mean, it kind of goes back to what I was saying earlier,” said Mayo. “Like, everything’s on the table, and guys want to go out there and play, and guys need to go out there and play and get better. How you get better at playing football is [by] playing football.”
“Is Drake not gonna, potentially not start on Sunday?” WEEI’s Jermaie Wiggins asked.
“I mean, that could happen,” said Mayo. “That’s what I’m saying. Like, everything is on the table -”
“And is that part because of the hit that he took?” Wiggy interjected, referencing a hit from Saturday’s loss that briefly knocked Maye out of the game before being cleared by the medical staff to return.
“It has nothing to do with that,” said Mayo. “It has everything to do with - look, it’s the last game of the season, and we have to look forward. Like, going back to, like, it’s a journey. I mean it’s not just about one game. It is, you know, trying to be present and win this football game. But it’s a journey, and we gotta think - look out the front windshield, where we wanna go.”
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on this developing story.