NFL rumors: Will Jerod Mayo take over GM duties from Bill Belichick?

Just one day after parting ways with legendary head coach Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have named Jerod Mayo as his successor. Mayo is just the 15th head coach in franchise history.

Mayo, who joined the Patriots coaching staff in 2019, has played an integral role in coaching one of the league's top defenses. He was a popular candidate for head coaching vacancies during the 2023 NFL offseason, he chose to return to the New England. Mayo was often rumored to be a likely successor for Belichick. That speculation now appears to be confirmed.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapaport, the Patriots established a "firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract [and] communicated it to the NFL."

Belichick, however, was more than just a head coach for New England. There are few –– if any –– coaches that could handle the wide range of responsibilities that Belichick did, most notable of which included the duties of general manager.

Will new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo also succeed Bill Belichick as general manager?

Mayo, who is now the youngest head coach in the NFL at 37, will not be asked to take on the same duties. Instead, the Patriots are working on hiring a new general manager to work with, according to Rapaport. It will take more than just one person to replace Belichick. As a younger and less experienced head coach, Mayo will need all the help he can get to fill Belichick's shoes.

Mayo has always been the quintessential New England Patriot. He was drafted by the Patriots in the 2008 NFL Draft and played as a middle linebacker for eight seasons. Mayo immediately displayed an incredible knowledge of the game. He showed an innate understanding of the game and incredible leadership skills, which made him the pillar of New England's defense. Even near the end of his playing career, Mayo stayed on the roster in a player-coach role.

"They called him 'Little Belichick' –– a lot of that has to do with Jerod's football knowledge,"former cornerback Jason McCourty said. "When he was out there as a linebacker, he handled all the checks, he knew what everybody was doing on the football field, and he is a leader at his core."

As a player, Mayo helped lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl championship, which was won by Malcolm Butler's goal line interception. Now, Mayo will look to bring another Lombardi Trophy to New England as a coach.