The New England Patriots aren’t known for being transparent about any of their plans, which is why an announcement about their coaching staff Thursday came as a surprise to many.
In that statement, the Patriots said head coach Bill Belichick has already begun contract extension talks with Jerod Mayo to keep him in New England long term.
This comes after Mayo, the team’s linebackers coach, who also served as co-defensive coordinator, drew interest from the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers.
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Both teams requested to interview him. The Browns are looking for a defensive coordinator, and the Panthers wanted to talk to Mayo about their head coaching vacancy.
The 36-year-old Mayo worked alongside Belichick’s son, Steve, with the defense. Steve Belichick called the plays on game day, though Mayo has trended as a potential head coach in the league.
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Mayo has only known the Patriots in his playing and coaching days, having played eight seasons with them as a linebacker, accumulating 802 tackles, 11 sacks and eight forced fumbles over 103 games. He also captured a Super Bowl ring and two Pro Bowl nods.
But that wasn’t all the statement said.
“In addition, the team will begin interviewing for offensive coordinator candidates beginning next week,” it stated.
With Josh McDaniels taking the head coaching job in Las Vegas prior to this season, Belichick handled the offensive duties alongside Joe Judge, who was fired by the New York Giants, and Matt Patricia.
But the Patriots saw quarterback Mac Jones regress a bit. The Patriots averaged 21.4 points per game to finish 17th in the NFL. They were also 20th in passing yards with 208 per game.
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Bill O’Brien, who has been in the Patriots’ building in the past as their offensive coordinator prior to leaving for Penn State’s head job in 2012, is considered a top candidate for the job.
Kliff Kingsbury, who was just fired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, also has ties to the Patriots from his playing days.
The Patriots finished 8-9 this season, just missing the playoffs after losing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 18.
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