The unenviable task of succeeding Bill Belichick may fall on a Belichick disciple.
Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo “projects to be a, if not the, leading candidate” to become the next Patriots head coach after Belichick and the organization mutually parted ways Thursday, according to ESPN.
Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who, like Mayo, also played under Belichick, was linked to the Patriots’ job before it opened and prior to his exit from Tennessee.
Following Belichick will be a tough job for whoever is hired, but the fan base may have more leeway with someone who has Patriots ties.
Mayo has served on the Patriots coaching staff since the 2019 season and is well-regarded within the organization.
The 37-year-old former linebacker spent his entire NFL career with the Patriots from 2008-15, winning one championship.
He signed a contract extension this offseason, and team owner Robert Kraft labeled Mayo as a possible “heir apparent” before the season.
“Well, he’s definitely a strong candidate to be the heir apparent, but we have some other good people in our system,” Kraft told NFL Network in March.
Mayo said in December he would like to be a head coach someday.
“Hopefully as you guys all know, one day I want to be a head coach,” Mayo said, according to CBS News Boston. “Where that is, I don’t know. But at the same time, I would say I have a lot of love for New England. I have a lot of love for the fans, the people around the building. And you know, my family, they love it here as well. So that would be great if I could stay here and continue to progress throughout my career, but we’ll see.”
What we know about the split between the Patriots and Bill Belichick
The Patriots and Bill Belichick will reportedly part ways on Thursday after 24 years and six Super Bowl wins.
Rumors had swirled around Belichick’s future all season as the Patriots finished with a 4-13 record and missed the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. Belichick met with Patriots owner Robert Kraft over the past several days before reaching the mutual decision.
Belichick notched a 266-121 overall record with the Patriots and has another 31 playoff victories.
The 71-year-old has no plans to retire, and needs just 15 more wins to match Don Shula’s all-time wins record — regular season and playoffs — by a head coach in NFL history.
Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo — who was the heir apparent — has taken over the job and become the next New England head coach.
Vrabel, 48, would come with a stronger track record than Mayo due to his experience, having led the Titans to the playoffs three times in his six seasons in Nashville, including an AFC Championship Game appearance during the 2019 season — in which they beat the Patriots along the way.
The Patriots also inducted Vrabel into their Hall of Fame earlier this year.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran said before Belichick’s departure that he expects Mayo, not Vrabel, to be the candidate to beat.
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“I also think the Krafts are very methodical,” Curran said earlier this week. “The fact that Mike Vrabel has kind of cannon-balled into the coaching pool here, I don’t know if that would necessarily cause them to alter the course of what they are planning to do.
“I believe that they will still stay on the course with Jerod Mayo as the next head coach.”
