Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo passed on exploring possible opportunities with other teams in favor of signing a contract extension in New England last year and that decision seemed to strengthen the idea that he could succeed Bill Belichick as the team’s head coach.
Belichick’s future has been a subject of speculation since it became clear that the 2023 Patriots were going to finish near the bottom of the league and Mayo’s role in the organization came under some scrutiny earlier this month thanks to a report by Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal. In the report, doubt was cast on Mayo’s readiness for a head coaching job in part because he “has rubbed at least some people the wrong way in the building since his extension.”
Mayo was asked about the report during a Tuesday video conference and called it “hurtful” at first before saying that it “triggered a period of self-reflection” to see if he had any “blind spots” that needed to be addressed. Mayo also said that he doesn’t think rubbing people the wrong way is a bad trait for a leader.
“When people talk about rubbing people the wrong way, I mean, that’s part of the job of being a leader, is to rub people the wrong way,” Mayo said, via Karen Guregian of MassLive.com. “And I always try to be constructive and respectful with my feedback. Some people appreciate that transparency. Some don’t. But at the end of the day, if we can’t rub people the wrong way, how do you expect that you can be the best that you can be? And I would say, anytime there’s change, or anything like that, it’s going to be painful if someone rubs you the wrong way. At the end of the day, you have to look through all the words that really get to the substance and the meat and potatoes of what that person is trying to say.”
If the Patriots do part ways with Belichick, it will be interesting to see what direction they decide to go with their next head coach. Mayo’s timeline for the next step might not match up with the one in motion in New England and the team could also opt for a break with the Belichick way after what Mayo called a “trying year” on Tuesday.
