Toucher: Jerod Mayo hire could complicate general manager search

On Friday's Toucher & Hardy program, the guys react to the breaking news that Jerod Mayo was named the next head coach of the New England Patriots.

Parts of conversation abbreviated for clarity.

Fred Toucher: Alright. Jerod Mayo is the coach, which means that it's going to be very interesting to see what they do with the general manager position. 

Here's what's on the table now. Everyone that I've ever talked to says that Jerod Mayo is an excellent head coaching candidate. They say that he is the future, that he'll be great with the players. This, that, and the other thing. 

If you read Bert Breer's article, he talks about how Jerod Mayo and Belichick weren't communicating that much this year because he had something in his contract that gave him the head coaching job. Belichick didn't want that kind of autonomy, or he thought that was too much power to give it to another coach. So the two of them weren't seeing eye to eye. 

What this does is, according to everyone we've ever talked to, this means that Bill O'Brien's probably going to be back as an offensive coordinator. He's still under contract. 

I don't know how this is going to positively impact your GM search. Because ideally, what we all thought the Patriots should do is clean house. Make someone most capable in charge of football operations. Have that person hire the coach. Then, the GM and the coach can be a tandem and work in concert. Hire the staff, evaluate the roster, and go from there. Which, is generally how the process is done. 

If you want to compare it to baseball, this seems a lot like a situation that was with the Red Sox. When you tell the general manager, "Here is your head coach." Not only that, "Here is your head coach and he's a first-year head coach." 

So, if I'm a general managing candidate who has other options or believes that I will have other options in the future, I don't want this job anymore. 

Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

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It didn't take long for the New England Patriots to fill their head coaching vacancy. Just over 24 hours after parting ways with Bill Belichick, ESPN reported Friday morning that linebackers coach and de facto co-defensive coordinator Jerod Mayo will step into the role, making him the 15th head coach in franchise history.

Mayo's hire was foreshadowed heavily on Thursday evening. It was reported that the team could hire him without having to go through the usual league-mandated hiring process, due to a clause in his contract setting him up as the successor to Belichick.

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Some of that speculation even went back to last year, when the Patriots announced a surprise contract extension for Mayo as he took himself out of the running for coaching jobs around the league. At 37 years old, Mayo is now the youngest active head coach in the NFL.

Mayo takes over the role after spending the last five years as a linebackers coach for the Patriots. During that time he also held some of the responsibilities of a defensive coordinator, splitting that role with co-linebackers coach Steve Belichick.

Before joining the Patriots' coaching staff, Mayo was a first-round pick by the team in 2008. He played eight seasons in New England including the 2014 Super Bowl championship year, winning Rookie of the Year in 2008 and getting an All-Pro nod in 2010 when he led the NFL in tackles. He was named to the Patriots' All-2010s team.

With Mayo in place, the process of building his staff now begins. A big question is who will stay with him, and who, if anybody, will follow Belichick to his next stop.

The two main spots Mayo will have to fill are offensive and defensive coordinator. Bill O'Brien, who joined the staff last year as an offensive coordinator, is still listed in the position on the team website. The team had no titled defensive coordinator, with Mayo and Steve Belichick splitting that role. Assuming he doesn't follow his dad to his next stop, the younger Belichick would be a candidate to take over the role fully. Defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington, who interviewed for defensive coordinator jobs during last year's coaching cycle, is another strong candidate for that spot.

This is a developing story, and will be updated...

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.