The Patriots have hired Jarrod Mayo as Bill Belichick’s successor, sources say

The Patriots have selected Jarrod Mayo to succeed Bill Belichick and become the 15th head coach in franchise history, sources told ESPN.

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Foxboro, Mass. — moving fast A day after parting ways with legendary coach Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have named Jarrod Mayo as his successor and the 15th head coach in franchise history.sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

May, 37 years old, It will be formally presented at a press conference next week. He will be the youngest coach in the NFLThe title has been held since Sean McVay was appointed coach Los Angeles Rams

In 2017; May is one month younger than McVeigh.

Mayo, a linebacker for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015 After being selected in the first round of the draft out of Tennessee, Joined Belichick’s coaching staff in 2019, serving as linebackers coach.

The Patriots bypassed the standard NFL recruiting process and immediately hired Mayo as they established a succession plan in the contract extension they signed last offseason, such as Baltimore Ravens When Eric DeCosta took over from Ozzie Newsome in 2019 with his general manager position.

May Became the first black head coach in Patriots history.

Mayo had considerable support among the players in the locker room, especially in defence. When news of Belichick’s departure broke, one defender said in a text message: “I hope they give it to Mayo. She deserves it.”

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Captain Dietrich Weiss Jr He credited Mayo as the main reason the defense had success against the Buffalo Bills quarterback, Josh Allen17 losses in the week.

As a player, Mayo was named team captain in his second seasonAnd some players called him Bill Jr. because they saw him as a future coach who spent countless hours in team facilities, like Belichick himself.

Belichick and the Patriots announced Thursday that he is leaving the team as coach after 24 seasons that included six Super Bowl titles.. The decision to part ways followed meetings between Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Belichick said it was time to “move on.”

Mayo spent his entire playing career in New England

, appearing in 103 games and totaling 905 tackles. He led the team in each of his first five seasons and became a righty Second Patriots player to win Defensive Rookie of the Year Award From the Associated Press. He was part of the Super Bowl championship team in 2014, limited to six games that season by a foot injury.