'It's Time!' Patriots Past, Present React to Jerod Mayo Hire
There's a new era in Foxboro - and players appear excited to get rolling.
Just one day after the New England Patriots parted ways with head coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons, Patriots owner Robert Kraft hired Jerod Mayo as the successor. In the span of 24 hours the Patriots went from being led by the oldest active in the 71-year-old Belichick to the youngest in Mayo, just 37.
Mayo, a first-round pick in 2008 who spent each of his eight professional campaigns with the Patriots, has been New England's linebackers coach for the past five seasons.
Among his accolades as a player, Mayo won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2008, earned two Pro Bowl nods, was named an All-Pro while finishing as the team's leading tackler in 2010 and helped win Super Bowl XLIX to cap off the 2014 season.
Now, Mayo is New England's next great hope on the sidelines ... and several players on the team have shared positive reactions to the news.
Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
A pair of receivers - DeMario Douglas and DeVante Parker - joined rookie sensation cornerback Christian Gonzalez in expressing excitement over Mayo's hiring.
But they weren't alone.
Patriots linebackers Ja'Whuan Bentley and Mack Wilson Sr., each of whom were directly coached by Mayo, responded positively - with Wilson, an unrestricted free agent this spring, going as far as saying he'd "love" to return and play under Mayo once more.
Beyond active players, some of Mayo's former teammates have chimed in, including running back LeGarrette Blount. The two played together in 2014 and 2015.
Former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman posted a video of Mayo's highlights to his Instagram story while offering words of encouragement.
"Congrats, time to get to work #15," Edelman said, referencing Mayo's status as the 15th head coach in Patriots history.
New England will officially introduce Mayo at 12 p.m. EST on Jan. 17.
