13 July 2023 , 21:53
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has current inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo tabbed as the eventual replacement for Bill Belichick.
Belichick, 71, is entering his 24th season as head coach and de facto general manager of the team. Regardless of winning six Super Bowls, he is under pressure from ownership to secure a spot in the playoffs after falling short last year.
Since quarterback Tom Brady left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, they have only made the postseason once. On that occasion, in 2021, they suffered a blowout wild card loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The last time the Patriots won a playoff game was against the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LIII. Kraft is keen to see that stretch end next season and has made that point publicly known during the offseason.
If they fall at the first hurdle again or make it back-to-back seasons outside of the postseason, Belichick could be out of the door before bringing up a quarter of a century in the job. The reports that friends of the future Hall of Fame coach worry he is on the hot seat this year.
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The newspaper also speculates that Mayo is who Kraft sees as a coach-in-waiting. He has been the inside linebackers coach in New England since 2019 and signed a lucrative contract extension during the offseason after interviewing for opportunities elsewhere in the NFL.
Before becoming a coach, Mayo spent eight years playing for the team between 2008 and 2015. He is on the Patriots All-2010s team and was part of the Super Bowl XLIX-winning roster.
Belichick is under pressure to improve by owner Robert Kraft (Adrian Kraus/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Almost a decade after that triumph, Kraft believes the franchise can be competitive again in the coming season. “I think we’ve had a great offseason,” the Patriots owner told MassLive late last month. “I like our draft. We probably play in the toughest division in football, but I love our team.”
That was just the latest warning fired Belichick's way over recent months. After acknowledging that he would like him to overtake Don Shula as the winningest coach in NFL history with 31 more wins, Kraft made clear he would like to see success return to Foxborough more.
"We’re about winning and doing whatever we can to win. And that’s what our focus is now. It’s very important to me that we make the playoffs - and that’s what I hope happens next year.”
In a competitive AFC East that has only become stronger this summer with the New York Jets trading for Aaron Rodgers, the Patriots will need much improvement on last term. Their 8-9 record was only good enough for third.
A year on, they will need to hold off the Jets and overhaul one of the Bills or the Miami Dolphins to keep Kraft happy. That seems like a tall task, even for Belichick.