The Patriots had a plan for a coach to succeed Bill Belichick. Now they have put it into action.
New England has hired Jerod Mayo to be their next head coach, according to multiple Friday morning reports.
Mayo, 37, had it written into his contract last year that he would be Belichick’s successor and that language was turned into the league. That’s why the Patriots did not have to go through a full search to determine their next head coach.
Mayo first joined the Patriots in 2008 as a first-round pick and played 103 games for the franchise through 2015. He then came back to the team in 2019 to be their inside linebackers coach.
With Mayo receiving interview requests for potential head coaching jobs, the Patriots announced last Jan. 12 that the club was planning to give him a contract extension that would keep him with the franchise long-term.
A year later, Mayo is now the team’s head coach.
Born Feb. 23, 1986, Mayo now becomes the league’s youngest head coach. Rams head coach Sean McVay, who was born Jan. 24, 1986, had held that title since 2017.
The Patriots reportedly plan to introduce Mayo at a press conference next week.
There are seven remaining teams with vacancies at head coach: the Titans, Raiders, Chargers, Falcons, Panthers, Commanders, and Seahawks.