The New England Patriots introduced new head coach Jerod Mayo on Wednesday as he and owner Robert Kraft spoke to friends, family, the media and members of the Patriots organization.
The duo appear excited to begin this new chapter of the franchise and Mayo's history with the organization certainly made things easier for Kraft upon the departure of Bill Belichick. The owner-head coach relationship is so crucial in the NFL and perhaps no such relationship has been as well-documented as Kraft's with Belichick.
That makes Mayo's hiring so intriguing, and the new Pats head coach showed just how comfortable he is around Kraft on Wednesday. When Kraft mispronounced Mayo's brother's name, the latter chimed in with some help.
“It's one of those black names. I'll help you with that,” Mayo said, per Ari Meirov. The statement set off a trove of laughter among those in attendance.
Mayo played all eight of his NFL seasons with the Patriots and is now entering his sixth year as a coach in New England. He was the Pats inside linebackers coach for the past five seasons and quickly grew a reputation as a future head coach with many calling for him to be Belichick's successor.
That has now come to fruition but it's unclear what the expectations will be for Mayo and the Patriots. New England has one winning season in the four since Tom Brady left the franchise in 2020. 2023 was the worst season of Bill Belichick's 29-year career as an NFL head coach.
It's still early, but Jerod Mayo seems up to the task of filling in the shoes of arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. The Patriots are officially beginning a new era, but Belichick's fingerprints will still be there if Mayo took any advice during his time coaching under the eight-time Super Bowl champion.
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