The New England Patriots may not be without a head coach for very long following Bill Belichick’s departure.
In case you’ve somehow missed it, the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick mutually agreed to part ways, earlier today.
The six-time Super Bowl Champion and future first-ballot Hall of Famer pretty much confirmed that he’s still wanting to coach in the NFL, with Patriots owner, Robert Kraft saying the same during the pair’s joint press conference on Thursday afternoon.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, when it comes to who could fill Belichick’s shoes on the sidelines in Foxboro…and the lead candidate already has an office in Gillette Stadium…
Sources: Jerod Mayo is a strong candidate to replace Bill Belichick & if he is the choice, the #Patriots could simply hire him. No need to go through the lengthy hiring process — they established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract & communicated it to the… pic.twitter.com/xZYUgEkUuC
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2024
“Sources: Jerod Mayo is a strong candidate to replace Bill Belichick & if he is the choice, the Patriots could simply hire him. No need to go through the lengthy hiring process — they established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract & communicated it to the NFL.”
Mayo, 37, was selected in the first-round of the 2008 NFL Draft by Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. The former Tennessee Volunteer would spend his entire eight-year career in Foxboro where he won Super Bowl 49 as the team’s starting inside linebacker.
Some of Jerod Mayo’s career accolades (as a player) can be found below:
- Super Bowl 49 Champion
- NFL Defensive Rookie of The Year (2008)
- First-Team All-Pro (2010)
- Two-Time Pro Bowl (2010, 2012)
- NFL Tackles Leader (2010)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2008)
- New England Patriots All 2010s Team
- First-Team All SEC (2007)
Following his retirement after the 2015 season, Mayo took a few years off before joining Bill Belichick’s coaching staff (unofficially) in 2018, where the team defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 53. Mayo would become the full-time linebackers coach in 2019, before becoming the de-facto defensive coordinator this past season, where he led a banged up Patriots’ defense to a top-10 unit in the league despite the club’s disappointing 4-13 record.
Bill Belichick’s Historic Reign in New England
Just hours after famously resigning as the head coach of the New York Jets on a napkin…yes, a napkin. Bill Belichick was hired as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2000. This comes after a modest 36-44 tenure as the leader of the sidelines with the Cleveland Browns from 1991 through 1995, and stints with the Patriots and Jets as an assistant from 1996 until his hiring in 2000. Following a 5-11 first season in Foxboro, Belichick righted the ship, most famously due to a certain Tom Brady stepping in for Drew Bledsoe following the latter’s injury in week 2 of the 2001 season.
Even after Bledsoe, who had freshly signed what at the time was the biggest contract in NFL history, Belichick stuck with the hot hand in Brady, who was just months removed from being the 199th pick in the draft. The Patriots would go on to beat ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ in the form of the Kurt Warner-led St. Louis Rams to secure the franchise’s first Super Bowl win. Belichick and Brady would famously go on to win six Super Bowl titles before Brady’s departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2019 season.
Brady went on to win another Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, his seventh, while Belichick was tasked with replacing the best player in the history of the sport…something that the Patriots are still struggling with as the club holds a 4-12 record heading into week 18.
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