Patriots Jerod Mayo Candidate For Broncos Head Coach Vacancy?

The Patriots inside linebackers coach may once again find himself in contention for the suddenly vacant head coaching position in Denver.

FOXBORO — New England Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo is enjoying modest success in his fourth season on Bill Belichick’s coaching staff.

Despite suffering a 22-18 loss at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, Mayo’s defense was clearly the team’s top unit, earning him further respect among Pats, players, his fellow coaches and fans alike. 

Since March 2019, the former Pats’ defensive standout has been putting the lessons he learned on the field into action while teaching the next generation of New England linebackers.

However, might his coaching prowess carry him west to the Rocky Mountains in the offseason?

With the Denver Broncos having fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett (following a dismal 4-11 start to the 2022 season, culminating in Sunday's 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams), Mayo may be on the short list of candidates for the top job at Mile High. Last offseason, the Broncos requested to interview Mayo for their head-coaching vacancy, just one day after firing then-coach Vic Fangio, who went 19-30 in his three seasons at the helm in Denver.

As a key component to New England’s success on the preventive side of the ball, Mayo is expected to be a potential top candidate for future head coaching vacancies in the NFL. In fact, the 36-year-old was prominently listed on NFL Media’s annual ‘Watch List’ of rising head-coaching candidates, under the age 45.

For the past three-plus seasons, Mayo has served as one of the Patriots’ top defensive assistant coaches. Alongside outside linebackers coach Steven Belichick, the 36-year-old has been intricately involved in the defensive play calling strategy, essentially carrying out the duties of an unofficial co-defensive coordinator. His defensive play calling prowess should come as no surprise, as Mayo previously held that responsibility during his playing days in New England. The Patriots’ former first-round draft choice appeared in 111 combined regular season and playoff games between 2008 and 2015.

Through 15 games this season, New England ranks fifth in the NFL in total defense, allowing a total of 4814 yards (ninth) and tied with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (fifth) in allowing 5.0 yards per offensive play.

Despite having yet to hold a head coaching position, Mayo has been considered for several such openings throughout the league in addition to Denver; including that of the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, and Las Vegas Raiders. During that time, he has been widely praised for his ability to connect with his players and teach them the fundamentals required for success in the NFL.

As a result, he will remain one of the hottest coaching candidates on the circuit, and almost certainly find himself on the Broncos radar yet again in the coming weeks. 

In the meantime, New England (7-8) will begin preparations to host the Miami Dolphins (8-7) on New Years Day at Gillette Stadium.

The Pats can still make the playoffs as an AFC Wild Card by winning their final two games.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan 1.

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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