Patriots' Drake Maye discusses job status of Jerod Mayo amid rumors

Neither New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft nor team president Jonathan Kraft has publicly addressed whether or not they will retain first-year head coach Jerod Mayo as rumors about Mayo's future continue to hover over the 3-11 team. 

On Wednesday, rookie quarterback Drake Maye strongly suggested Mayo hasn't lost the locker room amid a rough season for the club. 

"As players, we’re behind him," Maye said about Mayo, as shared by Mark Daniels of MassLive. "We’re backing him. We trust the plan he’s got for us. We trust what he says in the team meeting rooms and all his little sayings that he has. We believe in it and we’re bought into it. The results are coming. They’re coming. Everybody wishes they were now and we’re striving for that but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. But I think it’s coming and the winning is coming in the near future."

Recent stories and reports have named former Patriots player and one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner Mike Vrabel as a potential replacement for Mayo. 

During Tuesday's edition of the NBC Sports Boston "Arbella Early Edition" program (h/t Darren Hartwell), Patriots insider Tom E. Curran directly said that "Vrabel would be interested in coaching for the New England Patriots" and "looks at the Patriots despite the warts that they've shown and says, 'I'd go back there.'"

Maye's improved play over the past couple of months since he became New England's starter could ultimately save Mayo's job, as it's thought the Krafts want to avoid having the 22-year-old start over with a new coaching staff during the upcoming offseason. On Wednesday, Maye referred to Mayo as "a players coach" who "knows how to take care of us and take care of our bodies" due to his time with the Patriots as a linebacker. 

"There’s a lot of things that go into it but coach Mayo’s coaching style has been player-friendly," Maye added. "I appreciate what he’s done --bringing me aside and coaching the quarterback. That’s a cool thing for the head coach to do. Especially a defensive head coach. That’s been cool for me."

In the end, the best way for Maye and his teammates to show their support for Mayo is to avoid getting blown out in games such as this coming Sunday's contest at the 11-3 Buffalo Bills. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed New England as a massive 14-point underdog for that matchup.