The Patriots provided a major update on their coaching staff Thursday night with an unprecedented press release.
"The New England Patriots and Head Coach Bill Belichick have begun contract extension discussions with Jerod Mayo that would keep him with the team long-term," the statement from the team reads. "In addition, the team will begin interviewing for offensive coordinator candidates beginning next week."
Working backwards, this obviously means the Patriots are in fact looking for a real offensive coordinator and will not be running back the same Matt Patricia-Joe Judge setup that they had this season.
As for Mayo, this is a clear indication that Belichick values the former Patriots linebacker and wants to keep him on his own staff. Mayo has drawn interest from other teams for both head coaching and defensive coordinator positions. It's unclear if this means Mayo will get the defensive coordinator title in New England or not. His current title is "inside linebackers coach."
The Patriots have rarely, if ever, put out public statements on moves that are not yet finalized like this. With all the speculation and rumors that have been swirling, though, especially as it relates to the offensive coordinator, perhaps they felt the need to confront it and try to ease some of the fanbase's anxiety about the direction the team is heading.
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