New Report Highlights Jerod Mayo's Growing Role With Patriots

New report highlights Jerod Mayo's 'growing role' with Patriots originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jerod Mayo's role with the New England Patriots is expanding, it appears.

Mayo's official title with the Patriots is inside linebackers coach, a position he's held since 2019. But according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Mayo joined head coach Bill Belichick last week to help the team conduct interviews with offensive coordinator candidates.

Interesting nugget for you—Patriots LBs coach Jerod Mayo was alongside Bill Belichick for all of New England's offensive coordinator interviews last week, per sources. Good sign of Mayo's growing role with the team.

The team met with its five OC candidates over videoconference.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 22, 2023

The Patriots have interviewed five offensive coordinator candidates -- Nick Caley, Keenan McCardell, Adrian Klemm, Shawn Jefferson and Bill O'Brien -- and Mayo's presence for the interviews is a "good sign" of his "growing role with the team," Breer noted.

That Mayo was involved in these meetings also suggests his responsibilities could expand outside of defense, where he and outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick have served as de facto co-coordinators for the last several seasons.

Is Jerod Mayo in line to be the Patriots' next head coach?

New England announced last week that it had begun long-term contract extensions with Mayo. The team's unprecedented statement apparently had the desired effect of keeping the former Patriots linebacker in Foxboro despite the Carolina Panthers requesting to interview him for their head coach job.

Our Phil Perry pointed out last week that New England could give Mayo an "associate head coach" title, which would help advance his career while allowing Steve Belichick to remain the defensive play-caller. Mayo has aspirations to be an NFL head coach in the near future, and it sounds like the Patriots are helping him in that regard by increasing his responsibilities.

So, might Mayo eventually succeed Bill Belichick as the head coach in New England? Depending on how long Belichick keeps coaching, it's certainly a possibility.