The New England Patriots have methodically planned for the day that Bill Belichick would no longer be the head coach, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, they had it in writing.
Inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo is reportedly a “strong candidate” to replace Belichick, who mutually agreed to part ways with the Patriots on Thursday.
Per Rapoport, the Patriots “established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract & communicated it to the NFL.” So the team could outright hire Mayo as the head coach, if they wanted to go in that direction.
It’s important to note that Mayo turned down a head coaching interview with the Carolina Panthers last offseason, which was always a head-scratcher. But that decision makes sense if he preferred to be in New England and had some kind of reassurance from the team that he’d be next in line to be the head coach.
Sources: Jerod Mayo is a strong candidate to replace Bill Belichick & if he is the choice, the #Patriots could simply hire him. No need to go through the lengthy hiring process — they established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract & communicated it to the… pic.twitter.com/xZYUgEkUuC
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2024
The Patriots have yet to make an official decision on a coaching hire. Former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel is another name to watch.
Don’t expect this to be a stretched out process. Patriots owner Robert Kraft said on Thursday that he expects to “move very quickly” on a decision.
