The New England Patriots are hiring Jerod Mayo as the 15th head coach in franchise history, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter, making a quick transition after parting ways with Bill Belichick on Thursday.
Mayo, who turns 38 on Feb. 23, becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL and had been identified as a top target by Patriots owner Robert Kraft for some time.
Taking a closer look, Patriots reporter Mike Reiss answers four big questions about Mayo's signing, including what comes next. National reporter Jeremy Fowler talks about what he's hearing about the signing, and draft analyst Jordan Reid takes it to the draft. Finally, front office analyst Mike Tannenbaum rates the hire.
Let's do it.
Who is Jerod Mayo and what makes him a good fit?
Reiss: Mayo is a former Patriots linebacker (2008-15) whose leadership was evident when he was elected captain in his second season, a rare feat in New England. He worked in finance after his retirement from football before being recruited again by Belichick's coaching staff in 2019 to coach linebackers.
Some teammates used to refer to him as “Bill Jr.” because the combination of his football intelligence and his long hours reminded them of Belichick. His candidacy for head coach had notable support among defensive players in the locker room, and he previously interviewed with the Eagles and Broncos. The Panthers had requested an interview last year, but Mayo decided to stay in New England.
How did this hire happen so quickly?
Reiss: When the Patriots signed Mayo to a contract extension last offseason, they wrote succession plans into the contract that allow them to forego a traditional NFL coaching search. Sources said the projected plan was for that to happen after the 2024 season, but the Patriots' 4-13 campaign sped up the timeline.
This has similarities to what the Ravens did in their general manager transition from Ozzie Newsome to Eric DeCosta in 2019, the Indianapolis Colts in their head coaching transition from Tony Dungy to Jim Caldwell in 2008 and the Seattle Seahawks in their transition from head coach from Mike Holmgren to Jim Mora in 2008.
What are the biggest changes we can expect moving from Belichick to Mayo?
Reiss: Mayo said his approach is to “coach for love” because “once you build that relationship with a guy, you can be tough on the players.” That projected culture would be a notable change from Belichick, who developed strong relationships with players through a results-focused approach to business. Additionally, Belichick had had final say over personnel for most of his tenure. The Patriots are unlikely to give Mayo the final say on personnel.
Will the Patriots hire a general manager to work with Mayo?
Reiss: Yes, and the search will likely include internal candidates. The current structure has director of player personnel Matt Groh, director of scouting Eliot Wolf, senior personnel advisor Patrick Stewart, college scouting coordinator Camren Williams and director of pro scouting Steve Cargile in lead roles.
What are you hearing around the league about recruiting?
Fowler: This isn't a surprising move, as the Patriots dropped a major hint last offseason when they announced a new contract for Mayo. The Patriots rarely announce an assistant coaching extension. But it turns out that this was a special case, with the basis for a succession plan.
Mike Vrabel was the natural outside candidate, but it turns out he was more of a shiny new toy than an actual candidate. I heard from some coaches this morning who would have liked to see the Patriots conduct a broad search. But with the NFL's revamped hiring practices designed to provide more opportunities for minority candidates, this is a good fit for Mayo, who many league executives have considered as a head coaching candidate for some time now.
They are the patriots definitely Drafting a new quarterback for Mayo at No. 3? Would there be immediate improvements to the communicators available there over Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe?
Laughed: The options at the No. 3 spot become even more interesting with Mayo landing the New England job. The Pats are right in the middle of the quarterback hunt and in position to add one of Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina) or Jayden Daniels (LSU). Any of them would be an immediate upgrade over the Pats' current core staff. The Patriots ranked 31st in QBR this season at 31.5, making him the biggest need.
But it's also possible to consider a trade scenario, with teams like the Giants, Falcons, Vikings and Raiders outside the top five and in need of quarterback help. I could see a scenario where the Patriots trade up again and pivot to add a veteran quarterback via free agency, or draft Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) or Bo Nix (Oregon) on Day 2.
New England also lacks talent at the skill positions and could use a deep WR class. Both starting tackles (Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu) will become free agents, which also makes offensive tackle a possibility in the early rounds.
How would you rate this hire?
Tannenbaum: B. I like it from the standpoint that they've gotten to know Mayo over the years, the same way they got to know Belichick during the 1996 season (he was the defensive backs coach there) before hiring him as his head coach. in 2000. But it's really important for Mayo to hire an experienced staff now, and ideally a former head coach as offensive coordinator. Arthur Smith would fit that profile.
