The New England Patriots hired Jerod Mayo this offseason. But according to a new, bombshell reveal by the Patriots’ owner, that was a plan several years in the making.
Pats owner Robert Kraft revealed Thursday that the team has planned to hire Mayo, a former first-round pick and multi-time Super Bowl champion linebacker, since 2018.
Kraft spoke to Amazon Prime Video reporter Taylor Rooks ahead of New England’s matchup against the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. Kraft told Rooks that he tabbed the former Pro Bowl linebacker, who became a defensive coach on the staff,
.@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.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022