Mayo was fired on Sunday after the team’s win over the Buffalo Bills, ending his tenure after just one season and a 4-13 record. The move means the Patriots will embark on another rebuild as the team tries to build an identity following the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era.

For struggling NFL teams the end of the regular season triggers an annual exercise in bloodletting known around the league as "Black Monday" and the action got under way early this year as head coaches were sent packing.