Getty Bill Belichick
One way or another, it seems as though another Bill Belichick disciple will get an opportunity to become a head coach in the NFL.
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is the assistant coach from the organization who gets the most attention for potential head-coaching jobs, but NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport told WEEI’s Gresh & Keefe on December 30 that he believes linebackers coach Jerod Mayo is a name to watch.
“I believe Mayo is going to get an interview, maybe a couple of interviews,” Rapoport said. “I heard his Philadelphia Eagles interview last year was very, very good. I know he doesn’t have a lot of experience, and in New England the lack of titles, like he’s not technically a coordinator, which may or may not hurt him, but at least optics it doesn’t look great.”
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The Patriots don’t have a formal defensive coordinator per se, which can make it difficult to immediately identify which coaches are most impacting the performance on that side of the ball. Perhaps that’s the element that Mayo knew he had to overcome when he interviewed with the Eagles during the 2021 offseason.
“I guess his interview with the Eagles went incredible,” Rapoport detailed. “I’ve heard that from other teams who may or may not have a head coaching vacancy. So, teams are aware of that. I do think Mayo will get an interview and could he get a job in the right situation? I think he really could.”
One thing in Mayo’s favor is the history of the man who held his position before he took over the role in 2019. Brian Flores spent 15 years with New England, most recently as the Patriots’ linebackers coach from 2016 to 2018, before he used his success and experience in the role to land the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins.
Potential Fits for Mayo in 2022
Multiple teams figure to have head coach vacancies this offseason. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders, both relying on interim head coaches after midseason firings of Urban Meyer and Jon Gruden, could very well be looking for new leaders.
There is also a chance Mike Zimmer could be let go by the Minnesota Vikings. They have been eliminated from the playoffs and cannot finish better than 8-9. That makes back-to-back seasons out of the postseason for the Vikes.
The Chicago Bears will officially bounce Matt Nagy following Week 18, as reported by WFAN Sports Radio’s Boomer Esiason on January 5.
The Bears have won two straight to get to 6-10, but it is too little too late for a coach who barely made it into 2021 the season after he failed to develop 2017 No. 2 overall draft pick Mitchell Trubisky into a franchise quarterback. The Denver Broncos may look to replace Vic Fangio as the team heads into Week 18 out of the playoffs with a 7-9 record.
Also, don’t rule out the Carolina Panthers firing second-year man Matt Rhule. He has made a mess of what looked like a promising roster and it doesn’t appear as though he has endeared himself to his players.
A case could be made for Mayo with any of those teams.
Is the Jaguars Job Mayo’s Best Option?
To some, the Jaguars’ job is probably the least attractive in some regard. The organization hasn’t exactly presented itself as the pillar of stability in recent years. However, they do have No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence and they are likely to have the top overall pick again in 2022.
There is a lot to work with there, but the team needs a revamped culture. A guy like Mayo seems to be the kind of personality capable of delivering that to an organization in need of an identity. Perhaps the most attractive thing about Mayo is his youth. He’s only 35 years old which means the Jaguars could be placing someone at the helm who can lead the football team for many years.
Some of the bigger-name candidates, such as Jim Harbaugh if he makes a return to the NFL ranks, might snatch up the Bears and Raiders jobs. The Vikings’ and Broncos’ situations are tougher to assess.
In any case, Mayo getting a chance to do what Meyer could not seems like a potentially strong NFL story for 2022.
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