Jerod Mayo becomes the next head coach of the New England Patriots following the departure of legendary coach Bill Belichick after 24 years on Thursday; Mayo is now the youngest head coach in the NFL, overtaking Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams.
Friday 12 January 2024 19:13, UK
The New England Patriots have named Jerod Mayo as their new head coach following the departure of Bill Belichick.
Mayo, who won a Super Bowl as a player with the Patriots, takes over having served as inside linebackers coach in New England since 2019.
He becomes the youngest coach in the NFL at the age of 37, succeeding Belichick after the announcement he would be parting ways with the team following 24 years and six Super Bowl victories together.
Mayo had long been touted as a potential replacement for Belichick having asserted himself as one of the brightest young defensive minds in the league while playing a starring role on the Patriots' coaching staff.
The former linebacker made 905 tackles in 103 games across eight seasons with the Patriots after being drafted with the 10th overall pick out of Tennessee in 2008. He notably won Defensive Rookie of the Year before being part of the team that won Super Bowl XLIX thanks to their victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Mayo, who retired as a player in 2016, was hired as a coaching assistant in 2019 and has since helped oversee what, in spite of the organisation's failings on offense, has remained one of the league's most consistent defenses.
His appointment as head coach arrives following suggestions Mike Vrabel could have made a return to Foxboro having been dismissed as Tennessee Titans head coach following the conclusion of the 2023 regular season.
Mayo is tasked with redirecting a franchise coming off a dismal 4-13 season, at the heart of which was an offensive capitulation that is likely to leave the Patriots looking for their new quarterback of the future this offseason.
The Patriots offense ranked 31st in total yards, 28th in passing, 26th in rushing, 31st in scoring and 31st in EPA/play this season, while sitting seventh in total defense as a reminder of their consistency under Belichick.
New England currently occupy the third overall pick at the 2024 NFL Draft, putting them in contention to target one of the leading quarterbacks of the class, which is set to be led by USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye.
From a personnel standpoint, one of Mayo's priority jobs will be ensuring his first starting quarterback as head coach is equipped with a qualified offensive mind with which to guide the Patriots into their new post-Belichick chapter. Having seen promise under Mac Jones as a rookie, Belichick's subsequent decision to hand the offensive keys to Matt Patricia and Joe Judge would prove a defining mishap amid his demise in New England.
Mayo's appointment comes amid wide-scale change to coaching staffs across the NFL following the conclusion of the regular season.
Monday saw Arthur Smith fired as Atlanta Falcons head coach and Ron Rivera fired as Washington Commanders head coach, before the Titans moved on from Vrabel in one of the shock decisions of the annual coaching cycle.
Pete Carroll meanwhile stepped aside from his post as Seattle Seahawks head coach after 14 seasons, moving into an advisor role with the team that he led to Super Bowl glory at the end of the 2013 campaign.
