Patriots name Jerrod Mayo as Bill Belichick's successor

The Patriots selected Jerrod Mayo to succeed Bill Belichick and become the 15th head coach in franchise history.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Moving fast A day after parting ways with legendary coach Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have named Jerrod Mayo as his successor and the 15th head coach in franchise history.The team announced Friday.

May, 37 years old, It will be formally presented at a press conference on Wednesday. He will be the NFL's youngest coachSean McVay has earned a degree since he was named coach Los Angeles Rams In 2017; May is a month younger than McVeigh.

Mayo was a linebacker for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015 After being selected in the first round out of Tennessee, Joined Belichick's coaching staff in 2019, serving as linebackers coach.

The Patriots bypassed the standard NFL recruiting process and immediately hired Mayo as they established a succession plan in the contract extension he signed last offseason. Baltimore Ravens Eric DeCosta with his general manager position in 2019 when he took over from Ozzie Newsome.

May He is the first black head coach in Patriots history.

Mayo had significant support among the players in the locker room, especially security. After news of Belichick's departure broke, a defender said in a text message: “I hope they give it to Mayo. He deserves it.”.

Captain Detrich Wise Jr. He credited Mayo as the main reason he felt the defense was successful against the Buffalo Bills quarterback. Josh AllenA loss in Week 17.

As a player, Mayo was named team captain in his second seasonAnd some players referred to him as Bill Jr. because they viewed him as a future coach who, like Belichick, spent countless hours in team facilities.

Belichick and the Patriots announced Thursday that he is leaving the team after 24 seasons as coach that included six Super Bowl titles.. The decision to part ways came after meetings between Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Belichick said it was “time to move on.”

Mayo spent his entire playing career in New England, appearing in 103 games and totaling 905 tackles. He led the team in tackles in each of his first five seasons and became a righty Second Patriots player to win Defensive Player of the Year From the Associated Press. He was part of a Super Bowl championship team in 2014, only to be limited to six games that season by a foot injury.