Patriots hire Jerod Mayo to replace Bill Belichick as new head coach

A day after the Bill Belichick dynasty ended, Robert Kraft handed the reins to 37-year-old Jerod Mayo.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that the Patriots have hired Mayo as their next head coach, per sources informed of the situation.

The Patriots have since announced the hiring of Mayo, who will be officially introduced as coach during a press conferenced scheduled for next Wednesday.

Things had been trending towards Mayo taking over after Belichick’s run ended since last season when the club announced in January 2023 that it had begun contract talks that would keep him in Foxborough for the “long-term.” Reports soon followed that Mayo was strongly considered Belichick’s eventual heir.

Rapoport added Thursday, in the wake of the Pats and Belichick parting ways, that if Mayo was indeed the choice, Kraft could hire him as the next coach without traversing a lengthy hiring process, as the Pats already established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract and communicated it to the NFL.

Former Titans head coach and ex-Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel becoming available is about the only thing that raised questions about whether Kraft would follow through with the transition plan.

He did so, and didn’t waste much time, either.

Mayo takes over with a complete offseason runway to build his coaching staff and roster. How the front office could be reshuffled remains to be seen. Rapoport noted the Pats will work to hire a new general manager to work with Mayo.

The 37-year-old coach spent his entire eight-year playing career under Belichick in New England, earning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2008 and making two Pro Bowls. The long-time Patriots defensive captain retired in 2016.

Mayo joined Belichick’s coaching staff in 2019 as the linebackers coach. Since Mayo took on a coaching role, the Patriots have allowed 19.2 points per game (third in the NFL), generated 136 takeaways (2nd), and held opponents to a 35.8 third-down percentage (2nd).

Turning 38 in February, Mayo becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL (nearly a month younger than Sean McVay) and the first Black head coach in Patriots history.