This past offseason, Bill Belichick moved on from the New England Patriots. The Patriots hadn’t needed to hire a coach in over twenty years. But as it turns out, New England was ready for this moment.
On Thursday night, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team has planned to hire Jerod Mayo, a former first-round pick and multi-time Super Bowl champion linebacker, for nearly five years.
Kraft told Amazon Prime Video reporter Taylor Rooks ahead of New England’s matchup against the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football that he tabbed the former Pro Bowl linebacker, who became a defensive coach on the staff, as the team’s next head coach after Belichick’s eventual departure.
.@Patriots owner Robert Kraft chats to @TaylorRooks on the culture Jerod Mayo is bringing to the team.#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/GItteIC0iA
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 19, 2024
Patriots podcaster Alex Barth later transcribed Kraft’s bombshell.
Robert Kraft: “Jerod [Mayo] learned a lot from Bill [Belichick] in the technical background. But they’re each special individuals. I’ve gotten to know Jerod over the last 15 years and, you know, I picked him 5 years ago to be our next head coach…it’s great that he had the… https://t.co/cBG8CsJYVw
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) September 19, 2024
Mayo has big shoes to fill in New England left by the legendary Bill Belichick. Under Belichick, the Patriots won six Super Bowl championships and reigned over the NFL for nearly two decades. It was a dominant run unlike any other we’ve seen. But it seems that there was a succession plan for when the Patriots and Belichick finally parted ways.
We’ll see if the succession plan led by Kraft turns out in their favor. The NFL world reacted to this bombshell news on the Patriots.
Listen, I dislike Kraft VERY much. But he did well here. We ALL saw Mayo as a potential successor to Belichick at some point, just like he did. And he didn’t try to take credit for drafting. Good. Now fade to the background please: https://t.co/DAThCBWeJq
— Mike Sullivan (@msully5433) September 19, 2024
“I picked him 5 years ago…” https://t.co/CgzqjtMqV2
— Boston Radio Watch®️ (@bostonradio) September 20, 2024
Picked Jerod 5 years ago Mac Jones never had a shot. At least Drake Maye has a real shot https://t.co/jPJ0VIRHeq
— Steve (@steveA1127) September 20, 2024
5 years ago?!?!? I just said this! It all went downhill in 2019 when Jerod Mayo returned. Jerod Mayo is the problem. That’s when Bill Belichick knew. That’s why Tom Brady left. The Krafts and Jerod Mayo were the problem. https://t.co/30CJzBhGrI
— 🃏 Troll Pats 🃏 (@TrollPats) September 20, 2024
