Jerod Mayo has a lot on his coaching plate these days, balancing preparing for the Patriots’ Saturday night playoff game in Buffalo with the fact that Denver Broncos have requested to interview him for the team’s open head coaching job.
Or, maybe it’s not much of a balancing act at all.
“Right now all my focus is on the Buffalo Bills,” Mayo said in a Tuesday afternoon Zoom call with reporters. “I’ll absolutely take the interview, but right now it’s all about the Bills.”
Mayo reiterated that it’s always been a goal for him to become a head coach and doesn’t sound worried that his current responsibilities will get in the way of his opportunity in Denver. And if it does, well then it does.
“I would hope that any prospective employer would understand that my focus is 100-percent on the job at hand,” Mayo declared. “If that causes me not to get a job — because I’m focused on the job at hand — so be it. I am happy here. If I don’t get a job because I’m focused on beating the Buffalo Bills, I’m OK. I was a first-round draft pick in 2008, man. I’m OK. And I don’t mean to sound that way, but my main focus is the guys in this room.
It’s not about getting a job somewhere else. I have a job here right now. So we’ll see what happens.”
When he does interview in Denver and anywhere else that comes calling – Mayo reportedly was very impressive in his interview for the then-open Eagles job last offseason – he says he’ll be well prepared thanks to many of those around him these days, including boss Bill Belichick.
“Bill’s been great with that stuff. He’s been an open book for me,” Mayo said. “Whether we’re talking Xs and Os or the structure of the team or anything like that, he’s been great. Matty [Patricia] has been a great resource. All these guys have been great resources for me. The focus is about this season but at the same time development has always been a huge factor for me as far as coaching is concerned.”
Mayo is clearly well respected and thought of by everyone in the New England organization. Matthew Slater said his former 2008 draft class teammate and current coach is “more than qualified” to be a head coach.
Tuesday, fellow defensive assistant Brian Belichick added his praise for Mayo’s makeup as both a man and a coach.
“I got nothing but good things to say about Jerod,” the youngest Belichick said. “I sit right across from him, basically. He’s a great person. He’s engaged with everyone he interacts with. And is interested in everyone’s perspective. He learns from everyone. I would say that’s one of the things he does very well is learning from … any nugget he gets, he’s going to take something positive away from it. That helps him become a better coach, better person, friend, father, all that. He’s great. Great guy. Great example for the players. Great coach since he’s been here. It’s been awesome to work with him on the staff.”
While the two are working toward a common goal to stop Josh Allen and the Bills in Saturday’s playoff battle in Buffalo, they may not be sharing workspace at Gillette Stadium too much longer with Mayo’s swiftly ascending head coaching stock.
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