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Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Former New England Patriots linebacker and linebackers coach Jerod Mayo will replace Bill Belichick as the franchise's new head coach. Sources told NFL Network, ESPN and The Athletic about the decision Friday. Mayo spent his eight-year playing career with the Patriots under Belichick. He joined Belichick's staff in 2019 as an inside linebackers coach.
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Mayo, 37, will become the youngest coach in the NFL. He also will be the first Black head coach in Patriots history.
Belichick, 71, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft said they "mutually agreed to part ways" Thursday afternoon, ending his 24-year tenure as head coach.
Mayo will now be tasked with replacing arguably the greatest coach in NFL history, who won a record six Super Bowl titles. Belichick's 302 career victories are the third-most in league history, trailing only Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318).
Mayo, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, earned All-Pro honors for the Patriots in 2010 when he led the NFL with 174 combined tackles, including 113 solo tackles. He earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 20008 and went on to make two Pro Bowls.
He totaled 802 combined tackles, 30 tackles for a loss, 19 passes defensed, 11 sacks, eight forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and three interceptions in 103 career appearances. Mayo is among leading tacklers in franchise history.
The Patriots (4-13) allowed the seventh-fewest yards on defense in 2023, but earned the third-fewest yards offensively. The team also had a Top 10 defense in four of the five years Mayo was on the staff.
The Patriots' defense ranked inside the Top 10 for fewest yards allowed in 11 of Belichick's 24 seasons. It ranked inside the Top 10 for most yards allowed eight times during his tenure.
With the Patriots vacancy filled, seven NFL head coach jobs remain open entering the off-season.
