Report: Jerod Mayo 'most logical choice' to become new New England Patriots head coach

The New England Patriots and legendary head coach Bill Belichick decided to part ways after 24 seasons. With that decision, the process to find a replacement for arguably the greatest coach to ever do it has begun in New England.

While making an appearance on Get Up, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that the most logical choice is already on the team’s staff. That would be linebackers coach Jerod Mayo.

“The Patriots start a new search, a new chapter,” Schefter said. “I think people around the league believe that their linebackers coach, Jerod Mayo, is the leading candidate to become the successor to Bill Belichick. He, in the end, seems to be the most logical choice.”

Jerod Mayo is 37 years old and has been an assistant under Belichick since 2019, coaching the team’s linebackers. Prior to that, he spent his entire playing career with the Patriots after New England took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Tennessee.

As a player, Mayo was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2008. He was also a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was an All Pro selection in 2010. On top of that, Mayo was also a Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots.

“Now, they’re going to go through a search process. Maybe we’ll hear the name Brian Flores or Mike Vrabel, but I believe right now that Jerod Mayo is a leading candidate if not the leading candidate as the Patriots go on, Bill Belichick goes on, and as I said, it’s a new era in New England.”

Whoever replaces Belichick is going to face a very tall task. He won 266 games and six Super Bowls there. It’s almost impossible to replicate that success. However, there are few people who know what it means to be a Patriot and what Belichick means to that organization better than Mayo.

Mike Vrabel reportedly interested in return to New England Patriots

Another former Patriots linebacker who is going to get looked at in New England is Mike Vrabel. The former head coach of the Tennessee Titans was reportedly interested in New England even before he was fired by Tennessee.

Like Jerod Mayo, Mike Vrabel spent years playing for Bill Belichick and understands how he did things and what he meant to the team. Vrabel himself is also a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame, being elected as a player early in the 2023 season.

In six seasons with Tennessee, Vrabel went 54-45 and made three playoff appearances.