After a 24-year tenure, the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick are officially parting ways.
A joint news conference featuring team owner Robert Kraft and Belichick has been scheduled for noon ET on Thursday to formalize the separation.
As the announcement is made, reports indicate that Jerod Mayo, the Patriots’ linebackers coach, is emerging as a top candidate for the head coaching position, as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss.
Mayo recently signed a contract extension with the Patriots during the offseason and is regarded by Kraft as a “rising head coaching candidate.” Having played as a linebacker under Belichick from 2008 to ’14, Mayo has been part of the Patriots’ coaching staff since the 2019 season.
Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, whom the team signed to a contract extension in the offseason and Kraft has identified as a rising head-coaching candidate, projects to be a, if not the, leading candidate for the job, sources said. Mayo played for the Patriots from 2008 to 2014 and has been an assistant under Belichick since 2019.
Although Mayo has long been considered a potential successor to Belichick, the unexpected availability of Mike Vrabel might impact the Patriots’ coaching search. Vrabel, who had a successful stint as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, with a record of 54-45 over six seasons, including two AFC South titles and three playoff appearances, is now in the mix.
Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker from 2001 to ’08, won three Super Bowls in New England and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame last fall.
