Beyond Belichick: Leading Candidates to Be Next Patriots Coach

Jerod Mayo, Mike Vrabel and even Jim Harbaugh are among the candidates to replace the legendary Bill Belichick as the next head coach of the New England Patriots.

Out: An NFL legend with 331 wins, six Super Bowls and three Coach of the Year awards!

In: A former player who has never been a head coach in the NFL and was only hired as an assistant in 2019?

On a titanic, momentous day, the New England Patriots will both say goodbye to Bill Belichick and begin the process of hiring his successor. Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft will appear together at a Noon press conference in Gillette Stadium to announce they are mutually parting ways after an unprecedented 24-year run that resulted in six Super Bowl championships in Foxboro.

Source: NBC Sports Boston

Though Belichick's departure has long been rumored - and expected - it will be an unfathomably awkward transition for the Patriots and their fans. From the quarter-century stability of Bill at the podium and on the sideline to ... the shock of seeing a fresh face in charge of the Pats.

New England's last three head coaches will all wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton: Bill Parcells ... Pete Carroll ... Belichick.

This will be team's first coaching search since 2000. Since then, NFL teams have  hired 162 coaches including 28 alone in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins (11), Buffalo Bills (10) and New York Jets (7).

The leading candidate to replace Belichick is one of his former players: current Patriots' linebackers coach Jerod Mayo.

After a successful career as a linebacker in which he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2008, led the league in tackles in 2010, went to two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, Mayo was hired by Belichick to coach the Pats' inside linebackers in 2019.

His reputation and influence grew, and last offseason he was courted by the Carolina Panthers to be their head coach and the Cleveland Browns to be defensive coordinator. Instead, Mayo turned down the offers, signed a contract extension with the Pats and became the unofficial "coach in waiting" in Foxboro.

Said Kraft of Mayo last year: "There's no ceiling on his ability to be a head coach."

It's a new day and a new era for Kraft and the Patriots. The pillars of their six-championship dynast - Belichick and Tom Brady - are now gone. Replacing one of the most successful coaches in the history of American sports won't be easy.

Patriots, Jerod Mayo Contract Extension: Bill Belichick's Successor?

Belichick's successor will inherit a 4-13 team with a depleted roster and a weakened culture. The Pats are without a franchise quarterback, any offensive playmakers and have no players going to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2000. They had the NFL's worst offense this season, and long-time team leaders Matthew Slater and David Andrews are mulling retirement.

Over their last 25 games the Pats are 7-18. Only the Arizona Cardinals (5-20) have been worse.

They do, however, enter the offseason with burgeoning stars in cornerback Christian Gonzalez, receiver DeMario Douglas, the league's second-most salary-cap room and the No. 3 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.

A look at the candidates to be the successor to Bill Belichick in Foxboro:

Jerod Mayo - 37-year-old Patriots assistant reportedly "rubbed people the wrong way" this season, which makes him perfect to follow in Belichick's footsteps.

Mike Vrabel - Successful head coach fired by the Tennessee Titans this week, in part because of his passionate induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame last October. Some in organization consider him the team's "home run hire."

Ben Johnson - Mastermind of the Detroit Lions' innovative offense would provide a much-needed influx of fresh ideas to a historically stagnant New England unit.

Rumor: Patriots' Assistant Jerod Mayo 'Rubbing People Wrong Way'

Bobby Slowik - Houston Texans' offensive coordinator pushed quarterback C.J. Stroud to Rookie of the Year and his surprising team into the playoffs.

Brian Flores - Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator served 11 years on Belichick's staff in New England.

Josh McDaniels - Has six Super Bowl rings from two stints in Foxboro and was already rumored to be sniffing around a return to the Pats after his mid-season firing from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jim Harbaugh - If Kraft goes for a "splash" hire, none bigger than the guy who just won a college football National Championship at Michigan.

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