Patriots
“He’s a leader at his core. His specialty is people.”
The Patriots acted swiftly in finding Bill Belichick’s replacement, hiring Jerod Mayo as their next head coach on Friday.
Even though the decision to hire Mayo came in an unorthodox way, bypassing the usual head coaching search process, the move was praised by current and former Patriots players.
Here’s how several of them reacted to Friday’s news.
Former Patriots DB Jason McCourty
McCourty shared a pair of ecstatic reactions to the news of Mayo’s hiring on both social media and on his TV show, “Good Morning Football,” on Friday. He said he was “fired up” by the news, sharing some insight as he played in New England for a couple seasons while Mayo was on the staff.
“I’ve gotten a chance to be around Jerod, and for Patriots fans, you’ve had Bill Belichick for the past 24 years with all of the success and personality that Bill comes along with. Jerod Mayo, you heard Ian [Rapoport] say they called him ‘little Belichick,’” McCourty said. “A lot of that has to do with Jerod’s football knowledge. When he was a linebacker, he handled all the checks, he knew what everybody was doing on the football field. He’s a leader at his core. His specialty is people.
“When it comes to personality and how things are going to be, Jerod Mayo is completely different than a Bill Belichick. Jerod’s laughing at all times in that building, and he’s getting to know guys, he’s close with them. Jerod’s personality and the vibe that he has when he walks in the room, everybody brightens up, everybody stands straight up.”
McCourty added that Mayo helped the Patriots’ linebacker corps “get in the right direction” upon his arrival in 2019, when New England led the league in total defense.
“This guy’s a fantastic coach beyond just Xs and Os,” he said. “He’s one of the best leaders in this game. I’m excited for what his regime is going to bring in. What everybody’s going to be watching closely now is that for the last few years, Jerod’s been on this staff. His meetings with Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft, that’s him saying what he’s seeing and what needs to be done to move forward to get this organization back in the right direction.
“So, in the coming weeks and months, it’s going to be fascinating to see — this is a Patriots organization that you think when it passes onto somebody that’s been there, ‘Well, a lot of guys are still going to be there.’ What does Mayo see about the staff and everything above it of what he’s going to change moving forward. Who’s going to remain there? Who’s going to be the new people there?
“I’m excited as hell for Jerod Mayo. He’s a great dude and he’s a fantastic coach.”
Former Patriots WR Julian Edelman
Edelman, who was teammates with Mayo for seven seasons, congratulated his old teammate in an Instagram story on Friday.
“Congrats @jerod_mayo51 time to get to work #15,” Edelman wrote, sharing a video of Mayo’s playing career highlights from the Instagram account of his podcast.
Former Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower
Hightower was happy for the man he played next to for four seasons.
“Head coach Jerod mayo!!! Love the sound of that!! congratulations big bro,” Hightower wrote in an Instagram story.
Following Hightower’s retirement in the 2023 offseason, Mayo actually shared some insight on his former teammate’s coaching potential.
“I think Hightower would be a phenomenal coach,” Mayo told reporters. “So, we’ll see. When I get a chance to run my own ship, I’ll try to recruit him.”
Patriots LB Mack Wilson
Wilson, who has played under Mayo’s coaching for the last two seasons, was among the first active Patriots players to react to Friday morning’s news, sharing several posts on social media in excitement over the hiring.
“The start of a New Era that I’d love to be apart of,” Wilson wrote in a series of posts. “So happy for this dude.. Well deserved BIG COACH! ❤️”
Wilson also jokingly interacted with Matthew Judon, who playfully called himself the Patriots’ general manager on social media earlier this week.
“Great hire [Judon]‼️ Now can I get back on staff?” Wilson wrote.
Patriots LB Ja’Whaun Bentley
Bentley, who’s been with the team since 2018 and has played under Mayo for five seasons, kept his message of celebration concise.
“Yessirrrr!!!” Bentley wrote in a social media post.
Reactions from other current Patriots players
Several other Patriots players reacted to Friday’s news with brief messages on their Instagram stories.
Defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. wrote, “Congratulations Coach [Jerod Mayo]. Looking forward to create great memories!”
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster wrote, “Oh we gonna be lit!,” while Marcus Jones added, “Oh yeah let’s get it 💯.”
Rookie corner Christian Gonzalez simply wrote three exclamation marks to celebrate the news, and safety Jabrill Peppers posted three saluting emojis in reaction to Mayo’s hiring.
Other former Patriots players
Former Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch seemed ecstatic for Mayo on Friday.
“YESSIRRRRRRRRRR CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS MY BOIIIII 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 PATRIOTNATION IS IN GREAT HANDS I MUST SAY,” Branch wrote in a social media post.
Meanwhile, former Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins made a bold claim for Mayo’s first season on the job.
“playoff bound first year. Remember this tweet,” Collins wrote.
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