Bill Belichick is the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL and will be turning 71 next month. While he has no plans to retire, the question of who might succeed Belichick in New England has been raised before.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that he believes linebackers coach Jerod Mayo might be the “potential heir apparent” to the six-time Super Bowl champion. Kraft explained that he believes there’s “no ceiling” to Mayo’s career as a coach.
“Patriots owner Robert Kraft, in an interview with NFL Network, said he views LB coach Jerod Mayo as a potential heir apparent to Bill Belichick. Kraft believes no ceiling to Mayo’s career,” Judy Battista wrote.
Mayo was an All-Pro linebacker for the New England Patriots during his eight-year NFL career and was hired as their inside linebackers coach in 2019. He’s built a reputation for being one of the most respected positional coaches in the league.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft, in an interview with NFL Network, said he views LB coach Jerod Mayo as a potential heir apparent to Bill Belichick. Kraft believes no ceiling to Mayo’s career.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) March 27, 2023
Bill Belichick has an extensive list of coaches that have learned under him and gone on to become head coaches. Nearly two dozen of them have become head coaches in the NFL or NCAA level.
11 former assistants and three former players have all gone on to become NFL head coaches, though the degrees of success have varied mightily. None of Belichick’s disciples have ever led a team a Super Bowl appearance, much less a win.
Will Jerod Mayo be the next Patriots head coach? Does he have the ability to succeed where so many of Belichick’s other assistants have struggled?