Jerod Mayo: 5 Things To Know the Patriots' Potential Head Coach

On Thursday, an era ended in New England, as the Patriots and Bill Belichick parted ways. Now, it appears the page is already turning.

Less than 24 hours after Belichick and club owner Robert Kraft held a joint press conference, reports from multiple sources started swirling that Jerod Mayo was tapped as the Patriots' next head coach.

It goes without saying that he'll have massive shoes to fill. Coaching in the NFL is tough enough, but succeeding a living legend is its own unique challenge.

Moving forward, though, it's safe to assume that Mayo will be getting plenty of attention as the Patriots' new bench boss. With that in mind, here are some things to know about him.

Mayo Played Linebacker for the Patriots

While playing football at a high level isn't a strict requirement to take charge of a team, many coaches have suited up before heading to the sidelines. Mayo, as Patriots fans will remember, is one of them.

The linebacker played his college ball at the University of Tennessee and entered into the 2008 NFL draft. He joined the Patriots as the 10th overall pick and never looked back.

Mayo would spend eight seasons in the NFL, all with New England. He appeared in 103 contests over the years, piling up more than 800 total tackles with 11 sacks, eight forced fumbles and three interceptions.

Mayo Has a Super Bowl Ring to His Name

When you think of the New England Patriots, on-field success is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Mayo doesn't quite have the same trophy case as some of his peers, but he still did rather well for himself.

In college, he was named a First-Team All-SEC Player at the end of the 2007 season. The hits kept coming in the pros, as the linebacker was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Mayo also earned two Pro Bowl appearances (2010 and 2012) a first-team All-Pro nod (2010) and was part of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl XLIX.

Jerod Mayo's Coaching History

After his playing career came to an end, Mayo didn't go far. He hung up his helmet after the 2015 season, and the former Patriot joined his old team's staff as an inside linebackers coach in 2019.

New England largely labels their coaches with little more than position groups—the club's site lists Mayo as the linebackers coach, which is also a title held by Steve Belichick—but there has been some reporting around the rest of his responsibilities.

"Although he's listed on the team's website as the Patriots linebackers coach, Mayo does much more. While fellow linebackers coach Steve Belichick calls defensive plays, it's Mayo who runs the defensive meetings," Mark Daniels wrote in a January 5 MassLive.com story. "It was no surprise...when [defensive lineman Deatrich] Wise credited Mayo with helping the defense prepare to play against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills [during Week 17]. Mayo's duties include breaking down defensive practice and game film and detailing its corrections. He also breaks down the opponent's offense and has a major hand in creating the game plan."

He Brings a Personal Touch to His Work

When a franchise makes a major change, like replacing a living legend, there's always the question of continuity. Do you want to maintain the tradition that brought so much success? Or is it better to go for a clean break and a new philosophy?

The Patriots seem to be trying to toe the line between those two options.

Mayo, as we've established, has plenty of experience with the Patriots. He played under Belichick and then worked on the legend's staff. He was known as a leader and was no stranger to putting in the hard work. It would be naive to expect him to start his head coaching career by tearing down everything his old boss has done.

But, by that same token, Mayo is his own man. And if Belichick could be a bit grumpy and rough around the edges—if willing to uncork some one-liners—the former linebacker carries a personal touch and willingness to have fun.

"The conversation we was having—first of all, it wasn't just all about football. He really got to know me as a man. He got to know my family, my girlfriend. He wanted to know about my son," Mack Wilson told FOX Sports regarding a dinner invitation from Mayo after a trade brought him to New England. "And it was just—the vibe was just right. You can sit down and talk to a guy, and it's just eye contact, and you can just feel everything, like all the emotions and all you can feel like the love and the attraction towards somebody when it's serious. And that's what stood out to me most."

Wilson, for what it's worth, would also call Mayo "the greatest coach I've ever had in my life at the position."

But the praise wasn't limited to one player. Allow Matthew Judon to chime in.

"He understands the monotony of training camp and the grind of football and the football season," the linebacker said. "And every day, he finds a way to make the room fun, make watching film fun, make going over corrections [and] going over your mistakes fun and bright. And that's hard because he's sitting there telling you, 'Well, you did this wrong. And this is why you did it wrong. And this is what we need it to be.' But it's not in those words. How he does that is amazing."

The fun and connection don't come at the cost of work, though. This is still the NFL, and results do matter. Mayo, however, sees his personal touch as a way to reach the ultimate goal.

"I think all the players know that I'm competent, as far as X's and O's and things like that. But it's always warmth before competence, right? The person has to know that you really care about him, before you really start to explain X's and O's," the coach explained. "I think they understand that I care about them as men as individuals, first and foremost. And then we'll get to the football thing, and hopefully win a bunch of games. So that's just my approach."

He Had His Own Mayonnaise

With the nuts and bolts out of the way, it's time for something a bit more fun.

While we've obviously been talking about "Mayo" in a football context, the term usually conjures up thoughts of sandwiches and trips to the local deli. Well, at a time, Jerod Mayo had you covered there, too.

In the grand tradition of pro athletes releasing branded food products, the linebacker once lent his name and likeness to "Jerod's All-Pro Mayo." As documented in a 2013 Business Insider write-up, the spread came in three flavors, kickin' buffalo, bruisin' bacon and crushin' chipotle, and sold in a $10 variety pack.

Who knows, maybe the former linebacker's ascension to the top job could put Mayo back on the menu in New England.