The Patriots officially announced the hiring of Jerod Mayo as their 15th coach in franchise history Friday.
Mayo, 37, succeeds Bill Belichick a day after Belichick and owner Robert Kraft announced they were mutually parting ways. Mayo ascends after spending five years as the team’s linebackers coach. He rejoined the organization as an assistant in 2019, following an eight-year playing career that included two Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring before ending in Feb. 2016.
Mayo succeeds Belichick a year after reaching terms on a new contract that included a succession plan. That clause allowed the Patriots to elevate Mayo into his new role instead of conducting a normal head-coaching search that satisfies league rules.
The team will formally introduce Mayo as its next head coach on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at noon inside Gillette Stadium. The press conference will be live-streamed on the team’s web site.
