Jerod Mayo, Antonio Pierce, Ran Carthon and Tom Telesco struggled. But the Pats, Raiders and Titans owners also deserve blame for results.

Robert Kraft bypassed a typical coaching search last year. After firing Jerod Mayo after one season, the Patriots owner can't repeat that same mistake.

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

Patriots owner Robert Kraft made a quip about Drake Maye and Joe Milton III at quarterback in his season-ending press conference.

Tom Brady and Robert Kraft worked together for decades. More accurately, Brady worked for Kraft. Now as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Brady works against Kraft.

He fired Mayo, his hand-picked successor to Bill Belichick, and leapt back into the unknown; a leap that left the rest of the Patriots hanging, with the future of every coach and front-office member suspended until further notice. With all eyes on him, Kraft must now stick the landing.

Here we are — one year, one overmatched one-and-done Belichick successor, and you’re right back where you started from last January.

One NFL Insider called the Patriots' head coaching search a "sham" aimed at circumventing the league's Rooney Rule

Mayo, named Bill Belichick’s successor a year ago, was fired on Sunday after the Patriots’ 23-16 win over the Bills in the regular-season finale. The former Patriots linebacker, 38, posted a 4-13 record as head coach. Kraft added Monday he “went back and forth” on the situation over the past month.

After firing Jerod Mayo as his head coach Sunday, Robert Kraft is moving quickly to find a replacement. During a midday press conference Monday, the Patriots’ owner said the team has already extended multiple interview requests to head-coaching candidates.