Pats have contract in place to make Jerod Mayo the HC

[Woodman]

The Patriots have a coaching vacancy, for the first time in 24 years. And, on paper, there should not be a search.

Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Patriots “established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract (https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1745588132043542889?s=20).”

The NFL has confirmed that this continues to be a legitimate tactic to eliminate the need for a search that fully complies with the Rooney Rule, which currently requires two interviews with external minority candidates.

“The club would need to have language in the succeeding coach’s contract that is filed with the league prior to that season,” an NFL spokesperson told PFT in an email.

Report- Patriots have contract in place to make Jerod Mayo the next head coach - NBC Sports (https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/report-patriots-have-contract-in-place-to-make-jerod-mayo-the-next-head-coach)

[YardRat]

Huh.

So much for Vrabel.

[Canadian'eh!]

Word is NE is not going to exercise that option and might pivot to Vrabel

[YardRat]

It's an 'option' and not a 'firm contractual succession plan'?

[Goobylal]

Word is NE is not going to exercise that option and might pivot to Vrabel

Gonna be a huge PR mess for them if they do. Mayo (who isn't nowhere near Belicheat as a DC) is the name I've been hearing for the past couple years.

[Chet]

The more defensive HC in the division, the better for the Bills.

Pats and Jets will not present a threat until they get bright young offensive minds in there calling the shots. This is 2024, not 2000.

[YardRat]

The more defensive HC in the division, the better for the Bills.

Pats and Jets will not present a threat until they get bright young offensive minds in there calling the shots. This is 2024, not 2000.


We own the offensive-minded head coach. It's the defensive guys that have been stumbling blocks.

[Novacane]

We own the offensive-minded head coach. It's the defensive guys that have been stumbling blocks.

True, but look what the rest of the league does to those defensive guys. I hope the Patriots go down the Mayo road.

[YardRat]

True, but look what the rest of the league does to those defensive guys. I hope the Patriots go down the Mayo road.

True, but the comment I replied to was stated within the context of the division.

[Novacane]

I still hope they hire a defensive HC!

[Chet]

We own the offensive-minded head coach. It's the defensive guys that have been stumbling blocks.

Mate I’m talking about threats to win the division, not a stupid loss here and there. Divisional games will always be tough. As long as there are fewer good HCs and QBs in the division then we are gold.

Jets: Head Coach (-), QB (+\- depending on health)
Pats: HC (-), QB (-)
Dolphins: HC (+), QB (-)
Bills: HC (more of a -), QB (+)

[k-oneputt]

Give me the best qb and I will live with any head coach you throw at me.
Ask Belichick how that works.

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

Give me the best qb and I will live with any head coach you throw at me.
Ask Belichick how that works.
not to hijack the thread, but Mike Tomlin is one of the few exceptions to that rule. Getting to the playoffs with Pickett/Trubisky/Rudolph is an unbelieveable feat.

[Mike13]

I'm sure Boston fans will be level headed and not at all racist to Jerrod Mayo the second he loses.

[k-oneputt]

I'm sure Boston fans will be level headed and not at all racist to Jerrod Mayo the second he loses.

Well he is going to lose because they still don’t have a qb.
‘The supposed best coach in NFL history has proven that the last couple of years.

[Bill Cody]

The only negative to having a defensive minded HC is you need a bright OC to go with him. And if he's any good he'll be a HC in a few years so you'll have the difficulty of replacing him. But otherwise the defensive HC is fine. And you know the league goes through cycles so while it's true right now that offense is king all it takes is one guy to create a scheme that is hard to score on to switch that around. In fact this could be the time for a team to win by building a dominate defense because everyone is is doing the opposite.

Anyway the thing about head coaches that makes them succeed is leadership. That can come in a variety of personalities but at the end of the day the players need to be willing to run through a brick wall for the guy. How many hot shot coordinators have we seen fall on their faces as HC?

Bellichick won because he was smarter than pretty much everyone else, had a HOF QB and ran a team 1st, do your job, leave your ego at the door program. Very much old school in that regard. At 72 that's a hard sell to players 50 years younger that have been raised in a more entitled environment. I don't know if what NE did will ever be matched. Maybe KC because they have the QB but it's really really hard to match that level of success for that long. Andy Reid is no spring chicken.

From all reports Mayo has some leadership qualities but that's just the start. BB is going to take most of the staff wherever he lands. Can he build a great staff? Can NE draft the right QB? Can they find a GM to do what Bill was unable to do in the past decade and draft good players? The odds are against all that happening. And Kraft is old. He wants to win now. He's not going to have a long leash while Mayo learns the million things he doesn't know.

[Mike13]

I'm really surprised they never made Brian Flores that kind of offer.

[Woodman]

New England Patriots announce Jerod Mayo as new head coach just hours after firing legend Bill Belichick | The US Sun (https://www.the-sun.com/sport/10076036/jerod-mayo-patriots-coach-belichick/)

Mayo will be formally introduced as Belichick's replacement next week - per ESPN's Adam Schefter (https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1745800729757966447),

The former Patriots linebacker has spent his entire NFL (https://www.the-sun.com/topic/nfl/) career with New England.

He was selected as the No. 10 overall pick by the franchise in the first round of the 2008 draft.

Mayo won a Super Bowl (https://www.the-sun.com/topic/super-bowl/) ring under Belichick and has been a linebackers coach in Foxborough since 2019.

New England Patriots announce Jerod Mayo as new head coach just New England Patriots announce Jerod Mayo as new head coach just hours after firing legend Bill Belichick hours afte

[mightysimi]

It was on the radio this morning that it was in Mayo's contract. The next question asked was if Mayo wasn't a minority hire, would a clause like this break the Rooney Rule? Pretty tough question to answer.

[Joe Fo Sho]

It was on the radio this morning that it was in Mayo's contract. The next question asked was if Mayo wasn't a minority hire, would a clause like this break the Rooney Rule? Pretty tough question to answer.

It's not actually.

This happened with Jim Mora in 2009 and also Eric DeCosta in 2018.

[Chet]

Apologies in advance for the long-winded post…

We’re going on nearly a decade of offensive HC dominance with the lone outlier being BB. Sure, the game may be cyclical but this has been a long cycle and the rules aren’t getting any easier for defenses. It also helps us that BB disciples are miserable failures as HC’s, so that’s the biggest reason not to expect much from Mayo.

Not sure how you can come up with a groundbreaking defensive scheme in this day and age. Not unless, of course, you draft the next Sean Taylor/Ed Reed/Troy Polamalu and have Ray Lewis, Lawrence Taylor, Aaron Donald, Reggie White, and Bruce Smith all on the same roster. Only BB has proven capable of winning SB(s) with scheme over transcendent talent. The other defensive HC’s that have done it in the last 20 or so years have had multiple HOF/All-Pro players (Carroll, Tomlin, Dungy, Cowher).
You may have a different timeline of when this particular cycle started, but mine is where Kyle Shanahan planted his flag as the elite signal caller in the NFL, with the Shanny tree branching out the following year as McVay took over the Rams in 2017 and later LaFleur, McDaniel and others. Lots of pre-snap motion, potent offenses that were predicated on dynamic running games/schemes, etc. I guess you could make a case for Kubiak starting the cycle in 2015 since he was also a Shanny disciple, but I’m concentrating on the Young Turks who are running the league now.
To give you an idea of just how long this cycle has been:

-Two defensive HC have met in the Super Bowl just ONCE since the cycle began, with BB squaring off against Dan Quinn in 2016 in the first year of the cycle.

-BB is the only one to buck the trend in the past decade and win a SB, but he had the GOAT QB.

-Other than BB, only Dan Quinn has even made the SB in this cycle. Since 2019, it’s been completely offensive HCs.

So, since start of cycle (2016 season):

5 of 7 SB winners
10 of 14 SB participants
20 of 28 Championship game participants

Since 2019:

4 of 4 SB winners
8 of 8 SB participants
14 of 16 Championship game participants (!)

This year, I believe the breakdown is 10 offensive, 3 defensive, and one ST HC. 2 of those 3 defensive coaches will be lucky to last the weekend (one has to go between Tomlin/McD, and Bowles will be lucky to win one game in the best case scenario).

Cliff notes version is this cycle is longer than most and the offensive game and rules changes are still trending up.

[mightysimi]

It's not actually.

This happened with Jim Mora in 2009 and also Eric DeCosta in 2018.

I didn't see anywhere it was in their contract that they would take over. Just that they were named successor. With the verbal agreement, it can be rescinded but with a contract, it is open to litigation.

[Joe Fo Sho]

I didn't see anywhere it was in their contract that they would take over. Just that they were named successor. With the verbal agreement, it can be rescinded but with a contract, it is open to litigation.

It says so right in the article linked on the original post.

[Oaf]

Apologies in advance for the long-winded post…

We’re going on nearly a decade of offensive HC dominance with the lone outlier being BB. Sure, the game may be cyclical but this has been a long cycle and the rules aren’t getting any easier for defenses. It also helps us that BB disciples are miserable failures as HC’s, so that’s the biggest reason not to expect much from Mayo.

Not sure how you can come up with a groundbreaking defensive scheme in this day and age. Not unless, of course, you draft the next Sean Taylor/Ed Reed/Troy Polamalu and have Ray Lewis, Lawrence Taylor, Aaron Donald, Reggie White, and Bruce Smith all on the same roster. Only BB has proven capable of winning SB(s) with scheme over transcendent talent. The other defensive HC’s that have done it in the last 20 or so years have had multiple HOF/All-Pro players (Carroll, Tomlin, Dungy, Cowher).
You may have a different timeline of when this particular cycle started, but mine is where Kyle Shanahan planted his flag as the elite signal caller in the NFL, with the Shanny tree branching out the following year as McVay took over the Rams in 2017 and later LaFleur, McDaniel and others. Lots of pre-snap motion, potent offenses that were predicated on dynamic running games/schemes, etc. I guess you could make a case for Kubiak starting the cycle in 2015 since he was also a Shanny disciple, but I’m concentrating on the Young Turks who are running the league now.
To give you an idea of just how long this cycle has been:

-Two defensive HC have met in the Super Bowl just ONCE since the cycle began, with BB squaring off against Dan Quinn in 2016 in the first year of the cycle.

-BB is the only one to buck the trend in the past decade and win a SB, but he had the GOAT QB.

-Other than BB, only Dan Quinn has even made the SB in this cycle. Since 2019, it’s been completely offensive HCs.

So, since start of cycle (2016 season):

5 of 7 SB winners
10 of 14 SB participants
20 of 28 Championship game participants

Since 2019:

4 of 4 SB winners
8 of 8 SB participants
14 of 16 Championship game participants (!)

This year, I believe the breakdown is 10 offensive, 3 defensive, and one ST HC. 2 of those 3 defensive coaches will be lucky to last the weekend (one has to go between Tomlin/McD, and Bowles will be lucky to win one game in the best case scenario).

Cliff notes version is this cycle is longer than most and the offensive game and rules changes are still trending up.
I subscribe to this. Is 2025 too late to latch onto an offensive HC (if we lose Sunday and miss playoffs in 2024 I would imagine Sean is gone) or would it still be an advantage?

[Mike13]

I think it's very interesting that we're seeing the old guard on the way out, with the exception of Mike Tomlin.

[sukie]

I think it's very interesting that we're seeing the old guard on the way out, with the exception of Mike Tomlin.

Andy

[Goobylal]

Andy

I'll bet he's soon to follow. I'm thinking Kelce is getting serious with Taylor and rumors are they're getting engaged in a few months. He'll be 35 before next season, starting to slow down and won 2 SBs and is a surefire first ballot HOF'er. He appears to have a post-NFL career in commercials and maybe broadcasting. Probably a good time to retire and focus on Taylor and his next phase. And once he does, the Chefs become an average team, even with Mahomes. And that will lead Andy to retire.