One day after the New England Patriots announced it was parting ways with longtime head coach Bill Belichick, the team has chosen his successor, according to multiple reports.
Jerod Mayo, a former Patriot who has served as the team’s inside linebackers coach since 2019, will next lead the team, sources told ESPN and The Associated Press.
On Thursday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team planned to move quickly to hire a new head coach following Belichick’s exit after 24 seasons, WFXT reported.
“We are looking for someone who can get us back to the playoffs and win,” Kraft said Thursday, according to WFXT. “I’m very upset when we don’t win games and it carries the whole week. I promise you, our family will be dedicated to doing the best we can do to bring a winning team back.”
The team was able to quickly hire Mayo because of a succession plan that was included in the contract extension he signed last offseason, ESPN reported.
Mayo, 37, was drafted by the Patriots in the first round of the 2008 draft and spent his entire NFL career with the team, according to WFXT and team officials. He earned the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award and a Super Bowl ring before he retired after the 2015 season.
Over the past two years, Mayo interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs in Philadelphia and Carolina, the AP reported. He will become the first Black head coach in Patriots history and the youngest coach in the NFL, taking a title that was previously held by Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, ESPN reported.
He is expected to be formally introduced at a news conference next week, according to the sports news network.
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