Belichick Sons Harming Mayo’s Patriots?

The shoes of Bill Belichick will be hard to fill for Jerod Mayo in 2023 with the New England Patriots. It may be even harder if Belichick's sons are retained.

Newly appointed New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has major shoes to fill in his first year as the successor to Bill Belichick. 

After all, there aren't many coaches that part ways with a team after six Super Bowl victories, nine appearances, and 266 wins. Mayo might be uniquely qualified to fill those massive shoes though considering he's been with the Patriots organization since he was drafted in the first round in 2008. 

Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium / Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As Mayo begins to leave his mark as head coach of the storied franchise though, moving beyond the Belichick shadow should be a central focus. 

So far, that doesn't look to be the case. 

With Mayo looking to find candidates to fill out the rest of his coaching staff, Mike Reiss of ESPN reported that Belichick's sons, Steve and Brian, could have roles in the organization in 2024. 

While Mayo and Steve have worked together for many years on the Patriots' defense, sticking with the Belichick family will only hurt his chances of building a viable winner again in Foxboro. 

New England needs fresh ideas after 23 years of a constant message and theme permeating through the building. The offense became stale, the defense, while excelling in key moments, lacked talent at important positions, and leadership concerns grew the minute Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay. 

Fresh ideas and mindsets are important to continue a franchise's success. In 1988, the Dallas Cowboys parted ways with Tom Landry and brought in a fresh mind in Jimmy Johnson to usher in a new age of football for America's Team.

It ended up being the best thing for the Cowboys as they went on to win three Super Bowls. 

Now comparing Mayo to Johnson may seem premature, but the message from the late 80s Cowboys is that when a message gets stale, bringing in fresh ideas is important. 

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Some analysts may think Mayo isn't exactly a "fresh idea" guy considering he's still under the Belichick tree, but his introductory press conference showed a coach willing to adapt. 

By keeping the Belichick name in Foxboro though by hiring the old coach's sons, it's a sign that New England isn't prepared to run out from his shadows just yet. 

And that's not exactly a good thing.