Jerod Mayo started his coaching career in 2019. In his first year as inside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots, he helped the team's defense rank No. 1 in the NFL in total defense (275.9 yards per game) and scoring (14.1 points allowed per game).
After only three seasons as a defensive coach on Bill Belichick's staff, Mayo made The Athletic's latest NFL 40 under 40 list.
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In the 2022 offseason, Mayo fielded calls from the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders regarding their head coaching vacancies. Mayo, who was one of eleven assistant coaches recognized by The Athletic, is a good bet to get a head coaching opportunity sooner rather than later.
"I looked at it as an opportunity to talk to other people about football," Mayo said on NBC Sports Boston's "Patriots Talk" podcast in February. "They were interviewing me, yet little did they know I was interviewing them as well."
For now, Mayo remains loyal to the Patriots, the team that drafted him as a first-round pick in 2008. Patriots fans are hoping that the 36-year-old can help strengthen the New England's defense ahead of the 2022 season in hopes of being playoff contenders again.