Insider reveals when Patriots picked Jerod Mayo as Bill Belichick successor

It seems New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft decided that former linebackers coach Jerod Mayo would replace Bill Belichick as the club's head coach further back than some outsiders realized. 

For a piece published early Monday morning, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared that the Krafts told Mayo and others "as far back as two years ago that if Belichick were to have to leave abruptly for any reason, (Mayo would) be the guy they’d put in charge." 

It was widely thought the contract extension Mayo signed last offseason made him the favorite to become Belichick's successor whenever the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach was finished serving in that role with New England for whatever reasons. The Patriots confirmed that to be the case shortly after Belichick and Robert Kraft announced this past Thursday that they had mutually agreed to part ways. 

While Belichick turns 72 years old this coming April, Mayo is now the youngest head coach in the NFL at the age of 37. 

"The gut feeling on Mayo, I’m told, is about what the Krafts believe is most important in a head coach in today’s NFL—leadership, work ethic, emotional intelligence, overall intellect and, maybe most of all, an ability to communicate, connect with and motivate young guys," Breer explained. "The Krafts, again, aren’t guessing on that part. They’ve seen it as Mayo swiftly ascended through the ranks of Belichick’s coaching staff. He’s been the voice leading the defensive meeting room, more or less, since he dived into coaching for the 2019 season." 

It was somewhat surprisingly reported by Boston Sports Journal founder/editorial director Greg A. Bedard in December that Mayo had "rubbed at least some people the wrong way in the building since his extension." Neither that story nor the fact that former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, a beloved figure within the Patriots, became available this winter caused the Krafts to have second thoughts about sticking with their plan to go with Mayo. 

"Another thing that bolsters the link here is that Mayo has shown, while his heart is in football, the intellectual agility to apply his skill set in another area," Breer added. "The Krafts introduced him to Optum CEO Larry Renfro. Optum hired him, and Renfro’s crew thought enough of him, and his management potential, that they were willing to send him to Harvard Business School to get his MBA." 

That's all well and good, but one wonders if the Krafts will regret giving Mayo the keys to the kingdom a few years from now, especially if Vrabel finds success as a head coach with a different NFL franchise as soon as next season.