Patriots Turn Page Quickly From Bill Belichick, Hire Jerod Mayo As Next Coach

Published|Updated

The New England Patriots didn't have to look very far for their new head coach after parting ways with Bill Belichick. According to reports, New England is set to promote linebackers coach Jerod Mayo to head coach.

Mayo played all eight of his NFL seasons in New England before retiring after the 2015 campaign. The former first-round pick out of Tennessee was hired as the team's inside linebackers coach prior to the 2019 season.

At just 37 years old, Mayo will become the youngest coach in the NFL. He is one month younger than Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay. Mayo is expected to be introduced as the Pats' new head coach during a news conference next week.

1b05a18e-

Jerod Mayo is the new head coach of the New England Patriots. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

According to ESPN, Mayo had support among players in the locker room, especially on defense. One unnamed defensive player shared a text saying, "I hope they give it to Mayo, he deserves it," after Belichick's departure was announced.

READ: HANDICAPPING ‘THE HOODIE’: WHAT DOES BILL BELICHICK DO NEXT?

Jerod Mayo Is The Patriots New Head Coach

Not only is Mayo someone who played under Bill Belichick, he's spent the last handful of seasons inside the Patriots' facility with him, learning from the greatest coach in NFL history. Mayo also seems to be beloved by New England fans, and certainly among players who have been around him over the years.

“Two words I would use to honestly describe him – players’ coach,” linebacker Mack Wilson recently told MassLive. “Defensively when he talks and is in front of the room, everybody listens. Everybody’s locked in. It’s hard to explain, you’d have to be a player to see, but he’s a great coach overall. I feel like his time is coming.”

That time has now come for Mayo, and the test has never been greater as he now has to fill the shoes of the best to ever do it.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.