5 Patriots On Thin Ice With Jerod Mayo as Head Coach

A new era of New England Patriots football is upon us as Bill Belichick is moving on and former Pats linebacker Jerod Mayo is getting promoted from linebackers coach to head coach. The Belichick news has been anticipated for weeks now, so this did not come as a surprise to many. With Mayo being the internal solution, one has to think this has been talked about and planned behind closed doors for some time.

Mayo is getting his first head coaching opportunity with the only franchise he has ever known in football. After an 8 year playing career and 5 years on staff in Foxboro, Robert Kraft is handing him the keys to get the organization back to its familiar winning ways.

This team has looked extremely subpar as of late. But it's also hard to replicate an almost two decade-long run with arguably the greatest quarterback-coach tandem of all-time. A downslide was expected, but not quite like this past season. The Patriots finished with a record of 4-13 and sit with the rights to the third pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Mayo has a lot of work to do and a lot of options to work with. Despite a disappointing season, this roster still has some talent and help that will be looking to stick around to help this team turn it around and get back to winning. However, there are some players and staff members that can feel the ice cracking beneath them now that a new regime is taking the reins.

1. Steve Belichick Could Be Following His Dad Out the Door

Steve Belichick has been on staff with the Patriots, under his father, for 12 years now. He has spent time as a general coaching assistant, a secondary coach, and is currently a linebacking coach. He has a relationship and experience with both coaching Mayo and working alongside Mayo. Certainly, his dad being the top dog helped get him hired, but sticking around for so long probably helped him learn and grow if he's anything like Pops.

Although the record would show otherwise, this defense was not so bad in 2023-24, they were a top-half defense in points per game allowed and top-10 in total yards allowed. They were 4th best in rushing yards per game allowed.

The defense was good, which probably helped Mayo's case for promotion. One mustthink he'll be keeping things moving with his guys and his staff, but I'm not sure Son Belichick is a part of that, given the circumstances.

I'm sure he would land on his feet and be just fine. It is widely speculated that Father Belichick's coaching career is not over, and he will not be retiring. His landing spot is still unknown, but it'd be hard to believe we have seen the end of him. You'd have to think he'd bring his son with him and have him on staff doing something wherever he goes.

2. The Mac Jones Era is All But Over

As good as the defense was, the offense was the opposite. The Patriots tied with the Carolina Panthers, the worst team in the league, for the least number of points per game in the NFL with under 14 points. It wasn't just a passing problem or a rushing problem, it was just one big problem.

A lot of that falls on the shoulders of quarterback Mac Jones. Jones had the unfortunate task of being the first permanent starting quarterback after the departure of maybe the best to ever do it, Tom Brady. You cannot find bigger shoes to fill. Expectations were always going to be unfair for Jones, but he could have helped his case a little by doing something.

Jones' time in New England has not been great. He's been benched for Bailey Zappe multiple times, not something you want to be known for. You'd have to believe Mayo and his new regime will be looking for a new start and a new long-term quarterback. As far as Jones' future, the Patriots will certainly not pick up the fifth-year option and 2024 will be his last year under contract. Maybe he'll get a trade and a new chance elsewhere for next season.

3. Bill O'Brien's Job Could Be on the Line

Jerod Mayo is obviously a defense-first coach, and he's going to need someone in the offensive coordinator role who can really function independently.

There was some hope that Bill O'Brien was that guy, but 2023 made it clear that this wasn't the case.

The other thing that this team will need is a coach to develop a rookie quarterback to reach their full potential. And that's not something O'Brien really has a track record of doing.

The Patriots may well decide that an older veteran OC is the right piece to pair with the young Mayo, to get some experience on the staff. That would rule out some majorly interesting candidates this season, and would give O'Brien a little more hope of keeping his job.

But he still feels like a long-shot. O'Brien is going to have to quickly start petitioning Mayo that he's the right guy for the job and should stick around.

That's especially true if Mayo prefers a certain other former New England OC from his playing days.

4. Davon Godchaux's Contract Could Be Too Much to Stomach

While Mayo isn't going to have the control over personnel that Belichick did in his head coach-GM combo role, this promotion will obviously give him a lot more say in who is on the roster than he had before. And you better believe he's not going to ignore the front seven.

That's probably the biggest area of strength of area on this roster already, but one surprise disappointment last season was Davon Godchaux.

With an overall grade of 50.2, Pro Football Focus had Godchaux ranked just 101st among 131 qualifying defensive tackles in 2023. He didn't grade out well against the run (51.6) or as a pass-rusher (50.0).

There wasn't much help behind him (Lawrence Guy was one of the few DTs who was even worse), but now with some time to shape this roster, Mayo could decide to bring in reinforcements.

This becomes especially likely when you look at Godchaux's contract. He was essentially un-cuttable last year (a cap hit of $10.5 million but a $13 million dead money hit if he was cut), but the final year of his contract is very different.

His cap hit jumps to $11.65 million in 2014, but the Patriots would only take on $3.5 million in dead money for trading or releasing him, opening up $8.15 million in cap savings.

That's a big number, and it's one that would give Mayo some more wiggle room to start crafting his ideal roster.

5. Someone Else Will Give Zeke a Shot

Ezekiel Elliot signed a one-year "prove it" deal with the Patriots prior to the 2023-24 season. After the Dallas Cowboys moved on from him to get younger in the backfield, he needed to land somewhere to show he still had plenty left in the tank. His workload has certainly decreased from his glory days in Dallas, but he really wasn't as bad as a Patriot as it may seem. He had 5 total touchdowns on an offense that refused to put points on the board.

Now the Patriots may not need to fully reset, but they will be looking to change things. They will look towards the draft to get younger and build that way. Zeke is still under 30 but has been in the league now for 8 years. In this modern NFL, the running back is the most disposable position. There is always one available and you can always get younger.

Zeke returning to Foxboro is extremely doubtful with a new coach looking to softly reset. Look for the Patriots to get younger in the backfield and for Zeke to get another short-term contract to help a veteran-built team make a playoff push - much like we saw this past year with other veteran backs.

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