The New England Patriots officially ended an era on Thursday when they moved on from their longtime head coach and general manager Bill Belichick. It didn't take them long to find a replacement, though, as just a day after that announcement, they have officially tabbed their defensive play caller, Jerod Mayo, as their next head coach.

Mayo spent all eight seasons of his playing career in the NFL with the Patriots, before he joined Belichick's coaching staff in 2019. Mayo quickly rose through the ranks to have a prominent role on Belichick's defensive staff and ended up landing a nice contract extension from Robert Kraft last offseason that included language that ensured he would be Belichick's successor once his tenure with the team was over.

With the team moving on from Belichick, that paved the way for the Patriots to quickly name their replacement in Mayo, while also avoiding the requirements of the league's Rooney Rule in the process. Mayo now becomes the league's youngest head coach at 37, and he will have a massive task on his hands when it comes to replacing Belichick.

While many fans were intrigued by a possible reunion with Mike Vrabel or Brian Flores, it was always Mayo for the folks inside the Patriots office, and they quickly made the move official. Coaching in New England, where expectations are always sky high, is tough enough, but Mayo will have his work cut out for him as the immediate successor to Belichick, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in his first head coaching job.