The Patriots are officially back.

New England engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in recent NFL history this season, rebounding from back-to-back 4-13 seasons to go 14-3 and win the AFC East for the first time since 2019.

Last Sunday night at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots earned their first playoff victory since Super Bowl LIII by dispatching the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the AFC Wild Card Round to set up a Divisional Round matchup with the Houston Texans this Sunday.

Head coach Mike Vrabel has played a key role in returning this team to prominence. But Vrabel’s arrival couldn’t have happened without the departure of Jerod Mayo, who appeared to be the Patriots’ head coach of the future when team owner Robert Kraft hired him to replace Bill Belichick in January 2024.

On a special episode of The Quick Snap podcast with ex-Patriots David Andrews and Brian Hoyer, Kraft spoke candidly about his decision last January to fire Mayo after just one season.

“The one thing that I and my family understand is that we own this team, but it’s not like a traditional business,” Kraft said. “I look at our family as custodians of a public asset.

“I’m very fond of Jerod, and I would say that was one of the one or two hardest decisions (I’ve had to make), because to fire a guy after one year — and by the way, it was very expensive, because there (was) not only his contract, but 25 other coaches. It’s the worst financial implications since we’ve owned the team.”

Kraft was fully invested in Mayo, to the point where he didn’t even conduct a coaching search before hiring the former linebacker to succeed Belichick. But in Kraft’s view, things got so untenable during that 4-13 campaign that another change needed to be made, even if it meant eating the contracts of Mayo and several assistants while shaking up the organization for the second time in a 365-day span.

“I’m a fan first, and I thought, ‘I can’t — this just isn’t the right situation,’ and that’s on me,” Kraft added. “Jerod’s a great guy, but I just didn’t want to go through a continuation of what happened.

“And I really believed that hiring Mike gave us a chance, quickly, to put the team where it was to go from 4-13 to now 15-3.”

So far, Kraft’s decision to fire Mayo and hire Vrabel has paid off. Vrabel imported an entirely new coaching staff composed of veteran assistants, then worked with Eliot Wolf to make significant upgrades in free agency. And with quarterback Drake Maye playing like an MVP candidate in his second season, the future looks bright in New England, regardless of how long this postseason run lasts.

“Hearing the fans last Sunday night, it brought back to me the early days when we started doing well and the vibe in the stadium,” Kraft told Andrews and Hoyer. “And I don’t know if you guys could sense it or feel it the way I did Sunday night, but the crowd was a real asset to the team.

“But also the feelings — and I think part of it is what’s happened to the franchise the last three, four years, compared to the two decades previous. So, it’s pretty cool to be back.”

Also in this episode:

Takeaways from the Patriots’ win over the Chargers.

Previewing the Divisional Round matchup with the Texans.

Robert Kraft discusses the Patriots’ culture, the team’s impressive turnaround and Drake Maye’s humility.

Around the NFL: Postseason Edition.