Jerod Mayo Hiring Former Rival Assistant for Patriots Coaching Job
By Ryan Bunton
As Jerod Mayo keeps working to assemble his first staff as a head coach, he's brought some familiar faces back to New England. Mayo didn't have to look too far for his next assistant either, staying within the division and hiring former New York Jets running back coach Taylor Embree.
The Patriots plan to hire Taylor Embree as their new running backs coach, per sources. Embree was most recently the RBs coach with the Jets.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 13, 2024
On the gridiron, Embree played four seasons as a wide receiver for UCLA and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent, but he was cut at the conclusion of the preseason.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant during the 2012 season with the UNLV Rebels before returning to his alma mater as a graduate assistant with the UCLA Bruins for two seasons. In 2016, Embree made the leap to the pros as a defensive assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs for a season before moving out west to the San Francisco 49ers as an offensive quality control coach under Kyle Shanahan (2017-19).
The 35-year-old returned to the college ranks for a season as the tight ends coach with the University of Colorado before former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh brought Embree to the New York Jets as their running backs coach.
On the gridiron, Embree played four seasons as a wide receiver for UCLA and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent, but he was cut at the conclusion of the preseason.
On Jan. 23, SNY had reported that Embree would not be returning to the Jets staff in 2024. When the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator prior to last season, Saleh had made Embree one of his "untouchables" to remain on staff.
Embree's father, Jon, has a wealth of coaching experience, including fifteen years at the NFL level. The elder Embree also served as head coach at the University of Colorado from 2011-12. He is currently the assistant head coach and tight ends coach with the Miami Dolphins.
With the Jets, Embree was credited with the development of Breece Hall, who emerged as one of the top backs in the league as a rookie, prior to tearing his ACL in Week 7. Hall bounced back in 2023 with 994 yards rushing and averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
In 2023, New England ranked 25th in both rushing yards per game and yards per attempt. The Jets ranked 22nd and 14th in those two respective categories. The Patriots' 2023 running back reps were essentially split between Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott, especially once Stevenson went down in Week 13. Elliott is set to hit free agency and a return doesn't seem to be in the cards, so New England will likely have to replace his production.
Next up, Jerod Mayo will need to find a tight ends coach after Will Lawing departed to join former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien as Boston College's offensive play caller.
More New England Patriots news and rumors: