Jerod Mayo, Head Coach? 4 Bill Belichick Patriots Assistants On ‘Watch List’

Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo has made his head-coaching aspirations quite public over the past three seasons.

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

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’s linebackers.

Through nine games in the 2022 season, the Patriots currently sit at 5-4, making a strong push for a spot in the playoffs. The Pats defense continues to be their greatest strength, raking first in expected points added per play (EPA). Football Outsiders also has the Patriots ranked third in DVOA entering their Week 11 matchup with the New York Jets.

Mayo is a key component for New England’s success on the preventive side of the ball. Not only has he impressed his fellow coaches, Mayo has caught the eye of many throughout the league. Many consider him to be a potential top candidate for future head coaching vacancies in the NFL.

In fact, his opportunity may come sooner than later.

Mayo was prominently listed on NFL Media’s annual ‘Watch List’ of rising head-coaching candidates under the age 45. As a result, the former Patriots linebacker may be quite the hot commodity heading into 2023.

Joining him on the Network’s annual list were defensive line coach Demarcus Covington (33), tight ends coach Nick Caley (39) and Ross Douglas (27).

For the past three-plus seasons, Mayo has served as one of the Patriots’ top defensive assistant coaches. Alongside outside linebackers coach Steve 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 held that responsibility as a player. The Patriots’ former first-round draft choice appeared in 111 combined regular season and playoff games between 2008 and 2015.

Despite having yet to hold a head coaching position, Mayo has been considered for several such openings throughout the league; including that of the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos 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.

Joining him on the Network’s annual list were tight ends coach Nick Caley (39), defensive line coach Demarcus Covington (33), and Ross Douglas (27).

Nick Caley

Caley coached at the collegiate level for 10 years before becoming part of the Patriots' staff in 2015. In 2017, he was promoted to his current poisition. Caley added to his resume in 2020, by adding the title of being the team’s fullbacks coach in addition to his duties as tight ends coach. During his time in New England, Caley has earned a solid reputation for his leadership and knowledge among his colleagues, as well as his players. As tight ends are called upon to play prominent roles on both the passing game and run game, Caley maintains an intricate and integral role in the offense. In fact, his knowledge of the offense led to some speculation that Caley could inherit the play calling duties from the departing Josh McDaniels. Though the role eventually went to fellow offensive assistant Matt Patricia, Caley remains well-positioned to be a significant voice among the Patriots staff of offensive assistants.

Ross Douglas

After a solid collegiate career playing for both Michigan and Rutgers, Douglas turned his attention to coaching in the fall of 2018. He returned to Rutgers in the fall of 2018. During his time on the Scarlet Knights staff, he worked in player development, and also served as a defensive assistant. Under Greg Schiano, Douglas became a graduate assistant on the defensive side of the ball, working specifically with the team’s secondary. Though he was announced as the new cornerbacks coach at Richmond in 2021, Douglas accepted a Diversity Coaching Fellowship in June to join the Patriots staff. After spending one year working with the Pats defense, he is serving this season as New England’s wide receivers coach, along with Troy Brown.

Demarcus Covington

Covington began his coaching career as defensive graduate assistant; spending one season at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 2012, and two seasons holding the same title at Ole Miss. In 2015 Covington coached the defensive line at UT Martin. This was followed by 2016 when he spent the college football season as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Eastern Illinois. Covington joined the Patriots organization in 2017 and was a coaching assistant for two years before becoming an assistant outside linebackers coach in 2019. In 2020 he was moved to coaching the defensive line, where he has earned the trust and respect of his colleagues, but most importantly, his players.

The Pats hope to improve upon their 5-4 record as they welcome the New York Jets (6-3) to Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 20 for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. 

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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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