Why should fans in England root for Patriots? Jerod Mayo says team is ‘building the next dynasty’

Drake Maye had a more humorous answer when asked why English fans should root for the Patriots.

For roughly two decades, the Patriots had an easy pitch for why football fans should root for their team. That winning pitch has certainly taken a hit in the last few years, though.

So, ahead of the Patriots’ game against the Jaguars in London on Sunday, Jerod Mayo was asked why English fans should root for New England amid the team’s 1-5 start. Mayo pointed his answer to the future rather than the present, believing the team is on the right path to recapturing the championship years.

“One thing I would say is that we’re hitting the reset button and looking forward to building something special,” Mayo responded. “Building the next dynasty, and it starts with, obviously, through the draft and developing, but also through free agency. We look to get back on top here pretty soon.”

The Patriots began that “reset” process this past offseason, parting ways with longtime head coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons. While Mayo was hired to replace Belichick as the head coach, executive Eliot Wolf was promoted to run the team’s football operations.

New England also hit the reset button on the roster, drafting Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Following his first NFL start last week, Maye was also posed with the question of why football fans in England should root for the Patriots. His response came off as a bit more humourous before briefly touching on the future of the team.

“First off, I think it comes from the team name, New England. I think it’s easy for U.K. fans to be attracted to that,” Maye responded. “Our colors are pretty sweet. They represent a lot of different things.

“From there, just kind of the excitement for the team. I think we’re on the come up, and we’ve got a lot of things to look forward to, a lot of bright futures ahead. Shout out to all the fans that are already Patriot fans over here and look forward to having some more.”

Beyond Maye’s point about the connection between the Patriots and England, their six Super Bowl titles between 2001-18 certainly seemed to help them pick up fans nationally and internationally. The Patriots were the most followed team in the NFL on Instagram as of August. Additionally, New England is the fourth-most popular team in the United Kingdom, a study done by JD Sports found earlier in 2024.

English fans have also gotten to see a couple of Patriots wins in their native land. The Patriots defeated the Buccaneers, 35-7, in London in 2009. In their return trip to London three years later, they took down the Rams, 45-7.

Mayo was a part of both wins as a player, remembering the trips to London fondly.

“We approached it like a business trip, but at the same time, it was good to get the victory,” Mayo said on the wins he got in London as a player. “I vividly remember after the game; we had a good time as a team. It’s another way for us to build camaraderie, to go out there together and get a victory, so it’s good.”

This is also the second straight year that the Patriots are playing overseas, losing to the Colts in Frankfurt in 2023. Ahead of that game, Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave the team a speech that stressed the importance of that game in Germany.

When asked if Kraft has given or will give a similar speech this year, Mayo said the team already knows what it needs to do.

“It’s always a message, and I would say just as a fan of the game, I think it’s outstanding to grow the popularity of the sport,” Mayo said. “Obviously, it’s the most watched sport in our states, and we’re trying to do the same in other countries, so it is important.”