Ranking the 8 NFL head coach hirings this offseason

4. Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots

Mayo is only 37 years old, but he has been seen as a Bill Belichick successor for a while. The Patriots made the decision fairly quickly following the announcement of Belichick’s departure from the organization to promote the rising assistant. Mayo has spent the past four seasons as the team’s inside linebackers coach. Now he has big shoes to fill as the headman.

Belichick will go down as arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time, so it makes sense to replace him with the person that he had been grooming for the past few years. Mayo has also already received support from Tom Brady as well. There may have been sexier candidates available such as Vrabel, but it makes sense to stay in-house, making the transition as smooth as possible.

Best of Jerod Mayo Introductory Press Conference:

🗣️ "I'm not trying to be Bill"
😤 Hard work, works
🏟️ Evaluating Culture: "I don't want to be in an echo chamber." pic.twitter.com/34MGkSzFPd

— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) January 17, 2024