The New England Patriots are about to embark on a new era in Foxborough.
After 24 seasons, 30 postseason wins and six Super Bowl titles, legendary head coach Bill Belichick and the franchise mutually agreed to part ways. New England moved quickly to name his successor, promoting inside linebackers coach and longtime former Patriots player Jerod Mayo.
It’s a big step up for Mayo, who is a relatively unknown name in the coaching ranks. After an eight-year NFL career, all of which was spent in New England, he began coaching inside linebackers for the team in 2019.
While Mayo, who is 37 years old, is fairly inexperienced, he got a ringing endorsement from a pair of his former teammates. Reflecting on playing with Mayo while in Las Vegas ahead of the 2024 Super Bowl with For The Win, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski had glowing things to say about Mayo, particularly his intelligence.
“Anytime you talk to Mayo, he was like one of the smartest guys talking. He knew everything about everything,” Edelman said. “Very relatable with guys, even though he was a captain… he made everyone feel comfortable. So I’m really excited for his opportunity coming along.”
Gronkowski concurred, praising his understanding of the game of football and ability to make adjustments on the fly.
“He’s very intellectual. The guy knows the game of football to the T,” Gronkowski said. “I remember playing versus him, and he’d make some mess-up on the field, but he knows how to make that adjustment just like that. And he was the captain of the defense, and every time I put my hand down, he was getting all the guys in place around him… because he knows what he’s doing, and he knows the game of football well.”
Edelman also called Mayo a “baller” on the field, while Gronkowski said he was “a beast” prior to dealing with injuries, which ultimately cut his career short in 2015.
Mayo has big shoes to fill, but based on his former teammates’ characterization, it’s clear New England landed a coach who embodies the attention to detail that led to one of the greatest dynasties the sport has ever seen under Belichick.
Watch our full interview with Edelman and Gronkowski here:
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=146952]