When the New England Patriots announced they’d be replacing Bill Belichick with Jerod Mayo as head coach, many fans wondered about the nature of the in-house hire. Why move on from Belichick for somebody who – having only played and only coached under Belichick – would likely bring the same approach?
During his introductory press conference, Mayo certainly did his part to show he’ll take a different approach to the job than his predecessor. In particular, his answer to one question stood out as a departure from the previous way the team handled the coaching staff.
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Over the past few years, the structure of the Patriots’ coaching staff hasn’t been clear publicly. Some coaches held vaguely-worded titles while certain other jobs – on paper – went unfilled.
To the former point – in 2022 Joe Judge was listed as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. He was reassigned in 2023, working exclusively with special teams. However his title was just ‘assistant head coach’ while Cam Achord remained special teams coordinator.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have not had a titled defensive coordinator since Matt Patricia’s departure following the 2017 season. The responsibilities of the role were split up and while sometimes it was known who the defensive play-caller was, other years it was less clear. In 2022 the Patriots didn’t have a titled offensive coordinator either, something that had been the case a few times under Belichick (but less often than on defense).
On Wednesday, Mayo was asked if he’ll officially name coordinators moving forward. He signaled a change for the organization in that regard, and directly addressed his predecessor in his answer.
Jan 17, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (left) announces the hiring of head coach Jerod Mayo (right) at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
“I think it’s important. I think titles are important. No knock to Coach Belichick, who has been a huge mentor to me over the years as a player and as a colleague,” Mayo explained. “What I would say is I believe titles are important – outward looking. But as far as in the building, I don’t care what your title is. It’s, ‘what’s your job?’ ‘What value do you bring to the organization?’ I think that’s the most important thing.”
“Sometimes I think in business, in sports, people get caught up in titles. But I also understand the other side – if you want to continue to get promoted, people have to know exactly what you do,” he continued. “But like I said earlier, inside it’s all about collaboration. That’s what [Patriots owner Robert Kraft] talked about and that’s what I’m about as well.”
Interestingly, this is not the first time Mayo has been asked about the organizational structuring of the Patriots’ coaching staff. After he had his contract extended last year – a move preceded by him withdrawing his name from head coaching jobs around the league – he was asked if those contract negotiations including clarifying his role given he was listed as a linebackers coach but handled some of the responsibilities of a defensive coordinator – a role he split with Steve Belichick.
