The New England Patriots moved swiftly to name Bill Belichick's successor, and it's a move that plenty of current and former Patriots are on board with.
Our Phil Perry reported Friday morning that the Patriots are hiring Jerod Mayo as their next head coach, and the team later confirmed it. The move comes just one day after the team and Belichick confirmed they were parting ways after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles.
Mayo was on the roster for one of those Super Bowls and spent all eight of his NFL seasons with the Patriots after landing with the team in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He joined the team's coaching staff in 2019 and has been on New England's sideline since.
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The 37-year-old coach had garnered head coaching interest in previous offseasons, as he was interviewed by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, met with the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 and turned down an interview with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. However, owner Robert Kraft and the Patriots were keen on keeping Mayo around. They reportedly "established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract," according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, allowing the Patriots to make Mayo the youngest head coach in the NFL without going through a formal hiring process and interviewing other candidates.
If the reaction from former and current Patriots is any indication, the team made a smart move by keeping Mayo around and elevating him to head coach.
Mayo's hiring apparently has already tangibly affected the roster. MassLive's Mark Daniels reported that one upcoming Patriots free agent is prioritizing a return to the team because Mayo is in charge.