Not featuring a coaching search this year, the Patriots have still not conducted a true hunt for their sideline leader since agreeing to send the Jets trade compensation for Bill Belichick in 2000. Their effort to succeed the all-time coaching great proved interesting despite not contributing much to PFR’s latest HC Search Tracker.
Rather than go through a full-scale interview process, the Patriots included language in Jerod Mayo‘s contract making him the heir apparent. Robert Kraft confirmed this has been his plan for a while. The longtime Patriots owner revealed on the Prime Video Thursday Night broadcast Mayo became his pick to succeed Belichick five years ago.
“Jerod learned a lot from Bill in the technical background,” Kraft said. “But they’re each special individuals. I’ve gotten to know Jerod over the last 15 years and, you know, I picked him five years ago to be our next head coach.”
Belichick and the Patriots mutually parted ways after the 2023 season, ending his 24-year tenure as the team’s head coach and de facto general manager. While it was not known to the outside NFL world the Pats had Mayo as their open-and-shut pick, the team was the first to name a new coach during this year’s carousel.
The No. 10 overall pick in 2008, Mayo fared well under Belichick as a player and an assistant. As a starting inside linebacker, Mayo earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Mayo spent his entire eight-year playing career in New England under Belichick and retired after struggling with injuries in his last few seasons, which included a victory in Super Bowl XLIX.
Belichick later hired Mayo as his inside linebackers coach in 2019, a position the latter held until he was promoted to head coach earlier this year. Mayo quickly earned Kraft’s trust, as evident from the owner identifying him as his next leader in his first year on staff, but also drew attention around the league as a potential future head coach.
After interviews with the Broncos, Eagles, and Raiders for their head coaching openings from 2021-22, Kraft was so worried he might lose Mayo that he inserted a succession clause into his former linebacker’s contract to guarantee Mayo would succeed Belichick after he left New England, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Mayo declined a Panthers HC interview last year, and the Patriots released a statement indicating he was staying. Kraft confirmed in March 2023 Mayo loomed as a potential Belichick heir apparent, and while ties to Mike Vrabel emerged late last season, it does not appear the owner deviated from his long-held internal plan.
The succession clause allowed the Patriots to get around the Rooney Rule requiring NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for open HC positions. Roger Goodell (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss) called the succession clause “smart management” by the Patriots, who hired Mayo as their first Black head coach in franchise history on January 12.
Mayo began his head coaching career with a surprising upset of the Bengals in Week 1 before falling to the Seahawks in overtime in Week 2. While the Patriots did not enter this season with much in the way of expectations, Mayo will attempt to reward the owner’s faith in his first season at the helm.