3 Patriots Coaches On Their Way Out With Bill Belichick Gone

As the transition of power is already well underway in Foxborough, new New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo will begin to construct his staff.

There are still plenty of unanswered questions in New England. Robert Kraft will be on the hunt to replace Bill Belichick's other responsibility as general manager. It is not immediately clear how much of an overhaul is coming for the Patriots, or if the staff will remain largely as constructed. However, the promotion of an existing coach already on staff would likely indicate that a mass exodus is unlikely.

Only time will truly answer that question, but Mayo's introductory press conference on Wednesday could provide some more clarity on the team's intentions in these regards. Like Belichick, the entire staff is presumably under audit. It would also be fair to assume that Belichick will recruit some of the current staff to his next stop, much like former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels did a few seasons ago when he took the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders.

There will be some new additions and subtractions (some voluntary, some involuntary) in Foxborough this offseason, with Belichick as only the first domino to fall. With uncertainty surrounding them, some coaches could likely bail for greener pastures. The timing of Belichick's departure reportedly caught some of the coaching staff off guard, with staffers "disappointed" in finding out about the decision via social media.

Here are the coaches that will likely be following Bill Belichick right out of the door.

3. Mike Pellegrino

Bill Belichick loves his former lacrosse players. Not a lot of coaches get the opportunity to make the jump directly from playing in Major League Lacrosse to an NFL coaching staff, but despite never playing a down of football at the collegiate or pro level, Mike Pellegrino was entrusted by Belichick as the team's cornerbacks coach this season.

Pellegrino's position group drew some heavy scrutiny this season. Both cornerbacks Jack Jones and J.C. Jackson were benched for the beginning of the Patriots' Week 9 matchup against the Washington Commanders after missing the team's hotel curfew. In Week 10, New England flew overseas to face the Indianapolis Colts in Germany, but left Jackson behind for disciplinary reasons amid reported "questions about his reliability".

In the same Week 10 matchup, Jones was once again benched to start the game. Upset over his benching, he reportedly "blew up" at Pellegrino at halftime. Jones was cut by New England the very next day. Now, Pellegrino can't be held accountable for the behavior of each player, especially when the issues are off the field, but a laundry list of distractions at his position doesn't help the case of keeping him on staff.

To Pellegrino's credit, his unit held their own despite New England's poor season. New England's pass defense only allowed 6.2 yards per attempt, the 8th-best mark, and 208.4 yards per game, the 11th-best rank.

It is hard to envision that a well-respected NFL veteran like Mayo would deem Pellegrino as the best candidate to serve on his staff with much better options at his disposal. Like the next pair on this list, Pellegrino's position on staff feels a little too Belichickian to not be sent packing with the other remnants of the regime.