listen live to weei's reaction to jerod mayo becoming the next head coach of the new england patriots:
The Patriots have a new head coach.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, New England has hired Jerod Mayo to be their 15th head coach in franchise history.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later confirmed the news. The team formally announced the promotion on social media Friday afternoon.
At 37 years old, Mayo becomes the youngest coach in the NFL. He has spent his entire professional football career in New England, playing for the franchise from 2008 to 2014 and coaching under Belichick since 2019.
The Patriots were able to work swiftly to hire Mayo as their next head coach as, according to multiple reports, they "established a firm, contractual succession plan in [his] prior contract & communicated it to the NFL."
When they signed their linebackers coach to an extension last offseason, they baked in wording for him to become their next head coach. Per the NFL (h/t Doug Kyed), assistant coach contracts, "may include an agreement to become the club’s next head coach, provided the agreement is filed with the League office at the time is signed and occurs prior to the season in which the vacancy occurs." This allowed them to bypass an external search.
The franchise will introduce Mayo as their next head coach at a press conference next Wednesday, January 17 at 12 p.m. EST at Gillette Stadium.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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