01-12-2024, 03:15 PM
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/patriots-hire-jerod-mayo-as-head-coach-bill-belichicks-former-lb-will-succeed-him-in-new-england/
The New England Patriots have found their new leading man. Robert Kraft has tapped linebackers coach Jerod Mayo
to ascend as the organization's next head coach and succeed franchise
icon Bill Belichick, CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones reports.
Mayo
was looked at as the odds-on favorite to land this role even before
Belichick and the team parted ways on Jan. 11. Last offseason, the team
came out with an unprecedented statement saying that they had engaged
Mayo in contract extension talks to keep him in New England and prevent
him from opting for any head coaching opportunities elsewhere. That
effort by the team along with Kraft explicitly even stating that Mayo
was "a strong candidate to be the heir apparent" made it clear that he was a legitimate head coach-in-waiting in Foxborough.
This was a quick turnaround for the franchise to identify Mayo as its next head coach and was made possible, as NFL Media
previously reported, because they had established a contractual
succession plan and had previously communicated that to the league. Per NFL
rules, a contract can include an agreement to become the club's next
head coach, provided the agreement is filed with the league office,
which New England did in this instance and allowed them to forgo the
Rooney Rule and other standard hiring procedures.
Mayo broke into
the coaching ranks with the Patriots in 2019 and has served as the
inside linebackers coach, in-title, since. That said, the 37-year-old
has ascended over that time to be New England's de-facto defensive
coordinator as he held play-calling duties with the organization on that
side of the ball over the last few seasons.
Of
course, Mayo originally landed in Foxborough back in 2008 when the team
drafted him with the No. 10 overall pick out of Tennessee. Over his
eight-year career with the team, Mayo became part of a long list of
Patriots greats at the middle linebacker position. He was the Defensive
Rookie of the Year in 2008, a first-team All-Pro in 2010, a two-time Pro
Bowler, and finished his career with 802 tackles in 103 regular season
games.
Now that Mayo is established as head coach, he will have
his work cut out for him to improve on a club that went 4-13 in 2023,
which was last place in the AFC East and the conference. Specifically,
it will be interesting to see how Mayo builds up his coaching staff,
particularly on the offensive side of the ball. They are looking to
rebound off of an abysmal season where the offense averaged 13.9 points
and 276.2 yards per game, both being the fewest totals in a season since
1992.
On top of that, how the Patriots handle the front office -- with
Belichick previously serving as the GM as well as head coach -- will be
the next domino to follow. The Patriots are armed with the No. 3 overall
pick at the 2024 NFL Draft
and the third-most cap space in the league for Mayo and whoever they
bring in to lead to the front office to get the organization back on
track.
The New England Patriots have found their new leading man. Robert Kraft has tapped linebackers coach Jerod Mayo
to ascend as the organization's next head coach and succeed franchise
icon Bill Belichick, CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones reports.
Mayo
was looked at as the odds-on favorite to land this role even before
Belichick and the team parted ways on Jan. 11. Last offseason, the team
came out with an unprecedented statement saying that they had engaged
Mayo in contract extension talks to keep him in New England and prevent
him from opting for any head coaching opportunities elsewhere. That
effort by the team along with Kraft explicitly even stating that Mayo
was "a strong candidate to be the heir apparent" made it clear that he was a legitimate head coach-in-waiting in Foxborough.
This was a quick turnaround for the franchise to identify Mayo as its next head coach and was made possible, as NFL Media
previously reported, because they had established a contractual
succession plan and had previously communicated that to the league. Per NFL
rules, a contract can include an agreement to become the club's next
head coach, provided the agreement is filed with the league office,
which New England did in this instance and allowed them to forgo the
Rooney Rule and other standard hiring procedures.
Mayo broke into
the coaching ranks with the Patriots in 2019 and has served as the
inside linebackers coach, in-title, since. That said, the 37-year-old
has ascended over that time to be New England's de-facto defensive
coordinator as he held play-calling duties with the organization on that
side of the ball over the last few seasons.
Of
course, Mayo originally landed in Foxborough back in 2008 when the team
drafted him with the No. 10 overall pick out of Tennessee. Over his
eight-year career with the team, Mayo became part of a long list of
Patriots greats at the middle linebacker position. He was the Defensive
Rookie of the Year in 2008, a first-team All-Pro in 2010, a two-time Pro
Bowler, and finished his career with 802 tackles in 103 regular season
games.
Now that Mayo is established as head coach, he will have
his work cut out for him to improve on a club that went 4-13 in 2023,
which was last place in the AFC East and the conference. Specifically,
it will be interesting to see how Mayo builds up his coaching staff,
particularly on the offensive side of the ball. They are looking to
rebound off of an abysmal season where the offense averaged 13.9 points
and 276.2 yards per game, both being the fewest totals in a season since
1992.
On top of that, how the Patriots handle the front office -- with
Belichick previously serving as the GM as well as head coach -- will be
the next domino to follow. The Patriots are armed with the No. 3 overall
pick at the 2024 NFL Draft
and the third-most cap space in the league for Mayo and whoever they
bring in to lead to the front office to get the organization back on
track.
