Among the questions that come with the New England Patriots hiring Jerod Mayo to be their next head coach, few if any are bigger than what his offensive approach will be. A former linebacker and linebackers coach, Mayo has never worked on the offensive side of the ball so it’s impossible to say from the outside looking in whether he’ll continue the Patriots’ current offensive system, or take that side of the ball in another direction.
That question extends to personnel. Mayo will need to build out his coaching staff, and will have the option to retain current offensive coaches or replace them.
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The first and most well-known coach Mayo will have to make a decision about in that regard is offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. O’Brien was hired by the Patriots at this time last year to try to turn around an offense that became stagnant in the Matt Patricia era, but O’Brien’s unit ended up ranking 31st in the NFL averaging 13.9 points per game.
O’Brien had a prior relationship with Bill Belichick prior to last year’s hiring – he worked for the Patriots previously from 2007-2011 holding the OC title that final year. However, it sounds like Mayo could target a different former Patriots’ offensive coordinator for that job.
On Saturday afternoon NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo was discussing Mayo building out his staff. He both added context to O’Brien’s situation, as well as giving a candidate to take over if O’Brien doesn’t remain with the team.
“Bill O’Brien is currently under contract, but if he and the Patriots go their separate ways expect a familiar face – Josh McDaniels – to be at the top of the list for Jerod Mayo’s next offensive coordinator,” Garafolo said.
