FOXBORO — Less than two hours after closing out a miserable 4-13 season on Sunday, Patriots players learned the team would have a new head coach in 2025.

New England fired Jerod Mayo before some fans had exited the Gillette Stadium parking lots following the team’s 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills. The move surprised at least some players, who cleaned out their lockers Monday before heading home for the offseason.

“Very difficult,” defensive end and co-captain Deatrich Wise said. “It was a sad day. I didn’t want to see him leave. We didn’t know he was fired until right after the game, and it was very shocking news.”

Asked what Mayo — team owner Robert Kraft’s hand-picked choice to replace Bill Belichick last January — meant to him, Wise replied: “Everything.”

“He was a great leader, great coach, great friend,” the veteran defender said. “He pretty much was consistent every day, brought great energy every day, motivated everybody, inspired everybody in the building to do better. I felt like every time he came into the room, he brought a light and a good energy. I feel like he held us together throughout the whole season.”

Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux had similar praise for Mayo, who coached Patriots linebackers for five seasons before ascending to the top job.

“Jerod was a great person, great leader, guy you can talk to on and off the field,” Godchaux said. “So of course you’re going to feel for a guy like this. It’s tough when something like this happens. But I’m not in control. Nobody in this locker room is in control. It’s tough.”

Godchaux said his relationship with Mayo extended beyond football.

“Connecting me with people in his life and helping me out,” he said. “It runs deeper than just going out there and put a helmet on and play football for him. It’s a good connection that we have, that we have grown. My wife got to know his wife. My kids got to know his kids. So it’s a deeper connection. But this is the NFL. This is a tough business, and things like this happen. It’s crazy, but it’s true.”

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez said he found out about Mayo’s dismissal on social media.

“None of us have no say on that,” said Gonzalez, arguably the Patriots’ best player on either side of the ball this season. “They made the decision, and we’ve got to cherish the moments with him and hope the best for him and move on as an organization.”

He added: “It’s hard to win games in this league in the first place. I think he did a good job. Everybody in this locker room was riding for him. It’s a tough business.”

Ultimately, Patriots ownership decided the on-field product during Mayo’s one season was, in Kraft’s words, “untenable.” Kraft blamed himself Monday for promoting the 38-year-old coach to a job he was not ready for and lamented the team’s regression as the season progressed.

The 2024 Patriots suffered through two six-game losing streaks, and one of their four wins came against the Bills’ backups in a game Buffalo showed no interest in winning. That season-ending victory did more harm than good for New England, as it knocked the Patriots from first to fourth in the 2025 NFL Draft order.

It’ll be the Patriots’ second straight year drafting in the top five, which they had not done since 1994 before they picked quarterback Drake Maye third overall last April.

Longtime center and co-captain David Andrews said the Patriots’ process of rebuilding their fractured team culture and getting the franchise back to postseason contention “starts today.”

“We’ve got to build a culture and get back to a winning culture,” said Andrews, who suffered a shoulder injury in Week 4 and missed the rest of the season. “That’s a big thing, and hopefully that’s what we’ll do next year.”

The Krafts now must choose a new head coach to spearhead that effort. Former New England linebacker Mike Vrabel stands out as a natural choice for the job, but the Patriots will interview other candidates, which they did not do before promoting Mayo last offseason.

Among those to receive an interview request from the Patriots, a source confirmed to the Herald’s Andrew Callahan: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is viewed as one of the most desirable options on the head-coaching market.

“Whoever they pick, they pick,” Gonzalez said, “and we’re going to do our best to go out there and win games.”

FOXBORO — Less than two hours after closing out a miserable 4-13 season on Sunday, Patriots players learned the team would have a new head coach in 2025.

New England fired Jerod Mayo before some fans had exited the Gillette Stadium parking lots following the team’s 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills. The move surprised at least some players, who cleaned out their lockers Monday before heading home for the offseason.

“Very difficult,” defensive end and co-captain Deatrich Wise said. “It was a sad day. I didn’t want to see him leave. We didn’t know he was fired until right after the game, and it was very shocking news.”

Asked what Mayo — team owner Robert Kraft’s hand-picked choice to replace Bill Belichick last January — meant to him, Wise replied: “Everything.”

“He was a great leader, great coach, great friend,” the veteran defender said. “He pretty much was consistent every day, brought great energy every day, motivated everybody, inspired everybody in the building to do better. I felt like every time he came into the room, he brought a light and a good energy. I feel like he held us together throughout the whole season.”

Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux had similar praise for Mayo, who coached Patriots linebackers for five seasons before ascending to the top job.

“Jerod was a great person, great leader, guy you can talk to on and off the field,” Godchaux said. “So of course you’re going to feel for a guy like this. It’s tough when something like this happens. But I’m not in control. Nobody in this locker room is in control. It’s tough.”

Godchaux said his relationship with Mayo extended beyond football.

“Connecting me with people in his life and helping me out,” he said. “It runs deeper than just going out there and put a helmet on and play football for him. It’s a good connection that we have, that we have grown. My wife got to know his wife. My kids got to know his kids. So it’s a deeper connection. But this is the NFL. This is a tough business, and things like this happen. It’s crazy, but it’s true.”

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez said he found out about Mayo’s dismissal on social media.

“None of us have no say on that,” said Gonzalez, arguably the Patriots’ best player on either side of the ball this season. “They made the decision, and we’ve got to cherish the moments with him and hope the best for him and move on as an organization.”

He added: “It’s hard to win games in this league in the first place. I think he did a good job. Everybody in this locker room was riding for him. It’s a tough business.”

Ultimately, Patriots ownership decided the on-field product during Mayo’s one season was, in Kraft’s words, “untenable.” Kraft blamed himself Monday for promoting the 38-year-old coach to a job he was not ready for and lamented the team’s regression as the season progressed.

The 2024 Patriots suffered through two six-game losing streaks, and one of their four wins came against the Bills’ backups in a game Buffalo showed no interest in winning. That season-ending victory did more harm than good for New England, as it knocked the Patriots from first to fourth in the 2025 NFL Draft order.

It’ll be the Patriots’ second straight year drafting in the top five, which they had not done since 1994 before they picked quarterback Drake Maye third overall last April.

Longtime center and co-captain David Andrews said the Patriots’ process of rebuilding their fractured team culture and getting the franchise back to postseason contention “starts today.”

“We’ve got to build a culture and get back to a winning culture,” said Andrews, who suffered a shoulder injury in Week 4 and missed the rest of the season. “That’s a big thing, and hopefully that’s what we’ll do next year.”

The Krafts now must choose a new head coach to spearhead that effort. Former New England linebacker Mike Vrabel stands out as a natural choice for the job, but the Patriots will interview other candidates, which they did not do before promoting Mayo last offseason.

Among those to receive an interview request from the Patriots, a source confirmed to the Herald’s Andrew Callahan: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is viewed as one of the most desirable options on the head-coaching market.

“Whoever they pick, they pick,” Gonzalez said, “and we’re going to do our best to go out there and win games.”