Former Patriots star sends warning to Jerod Mayo amid rumors

It certainly appears that things are getting worse for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, as his New England Patriots are on a six-game losing streak. 

Retired tight end and current media personality Christian Fauria earned two Super Bowl rings during his New England tenure. He is the latest person associated with the franchise to criticize Mayo after the coach said that following the club's 32-16 Week 7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he felt that the Patriots are "a soft football team." 

"It’s such a disaster when you resort to that whether he meant to say it or not," Fauria said about Mayo's comment during an appearance on the "Eye on Foxborough" podcast, as shared by Karen Guregian of MassLive. "...Instead of calling his team soft, and then have to walk it back, I wish he would have said, 'I’m soft. I’m an idiot. I’m stupid. I need to be better. Those guys are doing their all and I’m not putting them in a position to win.' It’s cliche-ish, but it’s the only safe route to save your team from completely tuning you out."

Rumors about Mayo possibly losing at least some locker room members emerged before he replaced struggling veteran Jacoby Brissett with promising rookie Drake Maye as the team's starting quarterback earlier this month. After New England fell to 1-6 via the defeat against Jacksonville, it was suggested that Patriots owner Robert Kraft could part ways with Mayo come January if this season becomes "a complete dumpster fire." 

Additionally, Mayo has seemingly been involved in a war of words with former New England head coach Bill Belichick this fall. Belichick hinted during one interview that Mayo could spark a locker-room mutiny by publicly calling players out.

"I have no idea what’s going to come out of his mouth," Fauria added about Mayo. "...You don’t owe the media anything. I’d be more vague. Stop telling the truth." 

Mayo may need a win in the worst way when his Patriots host a 2-5 New York Jets side that lost its past four games this coming Sunday. Kraft would probably tolerate his team enduring a losing season while in the middle of a multi-year rebuild. Still, he could blow things up if New England is viewed around the league as a hopeless laughingstock by Week 18.