Jerod

Mayo

So much for that. The Patriots’ plan to move on from Bill Belichick but not really with one of his most trusted lieutenants predictably did not pan out. It was ol’ Bill, of course, who haunted the 2024 proceedings, as this roster simply was not ready for prime time. Horribly understocked on offense, it suffered from the loss of Belichick’s unmatched defensive acumen on the other side of the ball. As for Mayo, he had trouble picking a lane in too many critical areas, including at quarterback to begin the year. Mayo seemed to grow increasingly frustrated and bewildered as the season wore on, never giving the sense he had the right answers. He was in a tough situation, but one where he decidedly did not rise above his circumstances. The attention now turns to another sort-of Belichick acolyte, Mike Vrabel. 38-year-old Mayo, who has never even served as a defensive coordinator, faces an uncertain coaching future.

Schefter noted a shift in the organization over the past 30 or so days. Despite Mayo being Bill Belichick’s hand-picked successor and recently having buy-in from owner Robert Kraft, the Pats’ late-season collapse has turned the tides against Mayo. New England’s last win came in Week 10 against Chicago. Now the only thing they have to play for is the No. 1 overall pick, which they are currently in line to secure this weekend. With Drake Maye looking as good as promised and the first pick potentially in hand, starting over with a new head coach makes sense for the Pats as they look to find their footing in their post-Belichick, post-Brady era.

New England’s head coaching position technically isn’t open at the moment and Russini has reported multiple times in the past that Jerod Mayo is expected to get a second season with the Patriots. Still, the timing of this report ahead of New England’s last game is enough to raise some eyebrows. The advantages to the Patriots job are obvious with the team in position for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft while having the most cap space in the league this offseason and a young quarterback already in place. The only question that remains is if the job will actually become available in the next week.

Mayo managed to step in some hot water with the press by seeming to throw Alex Van Pelt under the bus on a goal-line play call this week — saying “you said it, I didn’t” about sneaking with Drake Maye — before referring to it as “a defensive response.” Mayo told WEEI that “Just like I tell the players, I’m still learning how those things work.” Never a bad time to learn, coach. The state of the Patriots roster is such that it’s hard to really hold Mayo’s feet to the fire for a terrible opening season, but he sure hasn’t gotten much from the roster and the defense has collapsed without Bill Belichick. It wouldn’t be unprecedented to fire a first-year head coach who struggled like this, but Kraft has had Mayo as the coach-in-waiting long enough that it would certainly be surprising.

Not a big surprise here as Mayo is in his first year with New England. It would’ve been a pretty bad look for the organization to make him a one-and-done coach. The Patriots have struggled with a 3-10 record this season, but the team is breaking in rookie quarterback Drake Maye and has limited weapons at the offensive skill positions. New England would have the third pick in the draft if the season ended today and it’s expected that Mayo will still be in charge when they make that selection.

Mayo also said the team is “open to taking the guy [with the No. 3 pick].” The Patriots desperately need a long-term quarterback answer, so it’s hard to imagine them moving off the No. 3 pick, but it sounds like they’re keeping all options on the table. A team like the Broncos or Vikings could be candidates to make a move up, especially with the Vikings holding two 2024 first-round picks, but teams still have more than a month to decide what they’d like to do.

Parker, 32, has been on the Denver coaching staff since 2021 and would become the league’s youngest coordinator if he lands the New England job. While the Patriots’ offense was a disaster in 2023, their defense was elite by most measures, including against the run. In Denver, Parker coached a Broncos secondary allowed the fifth highest drop back EPA and was graded by Pro Football Focus as the league’s second worst coverage unit.

Lukabu served as Boston College’s defensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022 and has also spent time with the Buccaneers, 49ers, and Bengals in various positions. Lukabu appears to be the first coach to receive an interview from the Patriots for the vacated defensive coordinator position, meaning there will likely be other candidates before the team makes a hire. Lukabu joined the Panthers earlier this offseason and is a name to remember as other head coaches begin to fill their staffs in the coming weeks.

A succession plan was firmly in place for Mayo, who had become one of the league’s most trusted defensive assistants in the final years of Bill Belichick’s run as head coach. Belichick on Thursday parted ways with the Pats and the team took little time to make the move to Mayo, 37, who played linebacker for New England from 2008 to 2015. The Patriots could hire Mayo without interviewing other candidates because of specific language in his contract detailing a succession plan post-Belichick. Mayo will take over a team with one of the NFL’s worst offensive personnel and a strong defense. The Patriots have the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

According to Rapoport and sources familiar with the situation, the Patriots “established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract and communicated it to the NFL.” While we don’t know when this all took place, the Patriots’ actions are that of a team that is prepared to hire Mayo at any moment. NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran said earlier on Thursday that the “indications” he received suggested Mayo was also the favorite to land the now vacated head coaching position. Rapoport also noted that other teams have created succession plans for staff members in the past, the most recent being the Ravens with now GM Eric DeCosta. Mayo should be viewed as the favorite to be the next head coach until we have reason to believe otherwise.