When it comes to the current era of the New England Patriots, there is no doubt it is drastic difference than what it has been for the past two decades with the absence of former head coach Bill Belichick. Now with Jerod Mayo in the role and executive Eliot Wolf as the “de facto” general manager, the Patriots are on a new path to hopeful success.
It is a tough void to fill as Belichick was with New England for 24 seasons, resulting in arguably the greatest accomplishments ever achieved from a head coach, winning six Super Bowls and having the second most wins of all time behind Don Shula. With that already behind the franchise, they are moving forward with Mayo and Wolf at the helm as the latter expressed that it has been “pretty good” to see the relationship thrive so far according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
“To actually see it come together is pretty cool,” Wolf said. “We’re on the same page. (But) we’re in the honeymoon phase. We haven’t lost a game yet. We haven’t faced a ton of adversity or any adversity, you could argue. I’m excited to bridge those things with him as they come.”
Jerod Mayo talks the relationship with Patriots partner in Wolf
Mayo has been with the Patriots organization for many years whether it be in a player role as a linebacker or an assistant coach under Belichick. Talking about the relationship with Wolf, he would reveal that even before they were hired in their respective roles, they would have “conversations about football, roster development, and structure.”
“We see a lot of things the same way,” Mayo told The Athletic. “Even before he was named to his role and the same thing with me, we always had conversations about football, roster development and structure. We’re pretty much on the same page on how to build a team and what we’re actually looking for.
“We’ve had a good relationship here for the last few years,” Mayo continued. “And it’s good to have a person who has come from outside the organization to help me think about things differently.”
The mindset Mayo wants to instill into Patriots players
Bringing in a modern player perspective to the head coaching job of the Patriots will be a new experience as he will be using his competitive career as a captain and applying the same tactics. He would say to The Athletic that he is a “huge believer” in a collective mindset with the players.
“I’m a huge believer in having a shared vision where the players have stock, the players do take accountability,” Mayo said. “So when things do get bumpy — and they will get bumpy — they understand they were part of the vision when everything was good. Right now, we’re 0-0. Everyone is happy, running around, and the vibe of the building is different. But that doesn’t mean anything if we don’t go out there and execute and perform and win games and continue to change the narrative and culture here.”
Changes have already been made to amplify the mindset Mayo wants for everybody in the Patriots to have when it comes to the players and even his coaching staff. In an interesting tidbit from Howe, he mentioned how Mayo hired an artist to paint a “expansive mural throughout a long hallway between the coaching offices and locker room.” On it reads “it takes you through the journey” as the 38-year old talks about reflecting on the “why” for the guys playing and coaching football.
“Really going back and reflecting on the journey to get you here, (that) will help you and the guys to establish their why,” Mayo said. “I think their why is very important, especially on those 100-degree days when I’m tired, my body hurts and all that stuff. And it’s embracing the suck. It sucks to be out here, but you have to embrace that and be able to push through.”
The important of empowering your players per Mayo
While there was a preconceived notion of Belichick's system being strict with players, Mayo is taking a slightly different approach with his coaching style. He stresses that he wants to “empower them to make decisions” as the No. 1 goal is to “put them in the best position.”
“I think you have to empower them to make decisions because once they cross the white lines, there’s nothing I can do for them,” Mayo said. “That’s a little different than what most people think where they want to put these tight guardrails on everything. But those guys are on the field. As a coach, we’re trying to put them in the best position. At the same time, they need to have the flexibility and the tools to go out there to perform their duty. I always try to include them as much as I can.”
Wolf talks seeing himself in front office role
When looking at the young career of the 42-year old Wolf, he started working with the Green Bay Packers in 2004 as a pro personnel assistant since his father, Ron Wolf, was a long time executive as general manager for the team. He would learn under some notable executives and head coaches throughout his time as after being the assistant general manager to John Dorsey for the Cleveland Browns, he started with the Patriots in 2020 as a consultant.
Then he rose up the ranks until this past offseason in 2024, he was promoted to be executive vice president of player personnel. He would tell The Athletic that because of his background working with the Packers, he always envisioned himself “running a front office.”
“As I got into it and took on bigger roles in Green Bay, it was kind of like, I can do this one day,” Wolf said. “I felt like I was definitely prepared and ready for it…I just went to work, I just put my head down, took it and ran with it the way I would have done if I had been given the job at that time. … Just putting pieces together and making sure every move we make is getting us in the right direction.”
Wolf, Mayo determined for hopeful payoff for New England
The work has started, but they are now preparing for their first season of action under a new regime as the new Patriots have a motto which says “Process, Progress, Payoff.” While time will tell whether the work Mayo and Wolf will do ends up resulting in immense success like Belichick, Wolf is especially realistic saying that he's not putting any timetable on it since they “haven't done anything.”
“I’m not strapping it to a time frame,” Wolf said. “That can be dangerous. A lot of it is just going to depend on how everything fits together and everyone meshes.”
“We haven’t done anything,” Wolf continued. “We haven’t won a game, we haven’t lost a game. We’ll see how that vibe is after different points in the season.”
In any sense, the Patriots are trying to improve after a dreadful season where they finished 4-13 and dead last in the AFC East. They will start their season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.
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