Jerod Mayo may have replaced Bill Belichick as the New England Patriots head coach, but he's still rooting for him and thinks he can still coach in the league.

The new New England head coach gave his support for his predecessor during an interview on WEEI's “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday.

“I feel like coach still has a lot left in the tank, and I wish him nothing but the best,” Mayo said.

Mayo and Belichick's relationship goes back over a decade when the Patriots drafted their new head coach during his playing days in 2008. Mayo quickly became a leader of the team and earned Belichick's respect, which caused the old Patriots head coach to add him to his coaching staff in 2019.

But there were some rumors that the relationship between the two might have soured in 2023 after Mayo contractually became Belichick's successor. Mayo said during his introductory press conference that he “needed a break from Bill” in the three seasons he has away from the team between his retirement and joining the coaching staff.

As for Belichick's future, the former Patriots coach has been heavily linked to the Atlanta Falcons. He's already interviewed with the team twice as some insiders believe he's the frontrunner for the job. However, the Falcons are interviewing a few other candidates for their head coach vacancy for a second time this week and Belichick hasn't interviewed with another team since the Patriots parted ways with him.

What did Jerod Mayo say of the futures of Bill Belichick's sons, Steve and Brian, with the Patriots?

In the same interview, Mayo confirmed a report that the Patriots have made offers for both of Belichick's sons to remain on the coaching staff.

“We have a great relationship,” Mayo said. “They have the option to stay, they have the option to go with their father if they would like to. … Still kind of going through it. They're great coaches. We'll see what happens.”

Steve Belichick has worked alongside Mayo over the last few years, serving as the team's outside linebackers coach. It was believed that Mayo and Belichick both ran the Patriots' defense, with Belichick calling defensive plays since 2019.

It doesn't appear though that Mayo's offer to Steve Belichick is to run the team's defense. The Patriots have requested interviews with a few assistant coaches to join the team as their next defensive coordinator, including defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington. Belichick has yet to interview for the position.

Brian Belichick, meanwhile, has served as the Patriots' safeties coach since 2020.