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Is Jerod Mayo ready to be an NFL head coach? Devin McCourty weighs in originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It’s been a long time — 24 years, in fact — since the New England Patriots were in the process of hiring a head coach. They might be in that situation as early as next week.
The 2023 NFL regular season ends Sunday when the Patriots host the rival New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. It’ll be the final game of the season for the Patriots because they have been eliminated from playoff contention for the third time in the last four years. It also might be the last game for Bill Belichick as head coach of the Patriots. He is under contract through the 2024 campaign, but with the Patriots continuing to go backwards since 2021, it’s fair to wonder if both sides could use a fresh start.
If Belichick does depart, who would replace him?
The best internal candidate is Jerod Mayo, who has been a linebackers coach on the Patriots’ staff since 2019. Mayo decided to remain in New England last offseason despite interest from other teams. He has done a great job coaching the defense and making it the strength of the Patriots for the second straight year. He also has the experience of being a top-tier player after spending all eight of his pro seasons in Foxboro.
One of the few criticisms of Mayo’s candidacy is his lack of experience as a coach. Is it too early for Mayo to be a head coach in the NFL? Our Tom E. Curran asked this question to Patriots legend Devin McCourty, who now works for NBC Sports and was a teammate of Mayo’s for six seasons.
🔊 Patriots Talk: Devin McCourty goes deep on Patriots at crossroads | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
“I don’t think so. I think his time’s coming,” McCourty said on NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Talk Podcast. “Whether that’s in New England, I think this year could be that year. We don’t know. Now that I’m in the media, you see it more where at one point it’s like, there might be 10 head coaching vacancies available, so…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jerod-mayo-ready-nfl-head-134705766.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-01-04 13:51:42
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