Just one day after parting ways with Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have given the nod to Jerod Mayo to take over as head coach.
ESPN reports that Mayo will be formally introduced at a news conference next week, making him the 15th head coach in Pats history. He will also be the youngest coach in the NFL at 37 years old. He is also the first Black coach in Patriots history.
However, his young age doesn’t mean he’s inexperienced. Mayo was a linebacker for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015 after being selected in the first round of the draft out of Tennessee. He joined the Patriots coaching staff in 2019 and has been working as inside linebackers coach ever since.
ESPN reports that the team’s players are extremely supportive of Mayo stepping into the role, writing that when news of Belichick leaving broke, one defender said in a text: "I hope they give it to Mayo. He deserves it."
Mayo spent his entire career playing football for the Patriots, leading the team in tackles each of his first five seasons. He was part of one Super Bowl championship team, in 2014, although limited to six games that season because of a leg injury.
In December, Mayo expressed his interest in the head coach job to CBS News Boston, saying, “Hopefully, as you guys all know, one day I want to be a head coach. Where that is, I don’t know.”
He also was very clear he wanted to coach in New England, and expressed his love for the Patriots fans, saying, “But at the same time, I would say I have a lot of love for New England. I have a lot of love for the fans, the people around the building. And you know, my family, they love it here as well. So that would be great if I could stay here and continue to progress throughout my career, but we’ll see.”
We wish Mayo all the luck in his exciting new job, as he has a lot of work ahead of him. The Patriots have missed the playoffs in three out of the last four seasons and own the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They will also have plenty of salary cap space to work with to make his first season in charge a successful one.