Jerod Mayo's season is over.
The New England Patriotsplaced the linebacker on injured reserve Tuesday because of a shoulder injury.
It's the third straight season that Mayo's year ends on IR.
ESPN first reported the news.
Mayo was a rotational player this season, playing 36.2 percent of snaps. He compiled one sack, one pass defensed and 47 tackles. He played just seven snaps in Saturday's Divisional Round win over the Kansas City Chiefs before being injured in the third quarter.
Saturday might have been Mayo's final game in a Pats jersey. The linebacker, who took a pay cut in 2015, has a $4 million bonus due at the start of the new league year if the team exercises their option. It would count $11.4 million against the salary cap.
While the Mayo news isn't positive, the bigger issue will be the health of Pro Bowler Jamie Collins, who suffered an oblique strain against the Chiefs. If Collins is limited Sunday versus the Denver Broncos, the Patriots' linebacker corps will be very thin.
With Mayo out, Jonathan Freeny, Darius Fleming and Jon Bostic move up a spot behind Collins and Dont'a Hightower on the depth chart.
