Wikipedia

Jerod Mayo

Jerod Mayo Sr. (born February 23, 1986) is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played with the Patriots for eight seasons. Mayo played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the Patriots tenth overall in the 2008 NFL draft.

Jerod Mayo
refer to caption
Mayo with the Patriots in 2009
New England Patriots
Position:Head coach
Personal information
Born: (1986-02-23) February 23, 1986 (age 38)
Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Kecoughtan (Hampton)
College:Tennessee (2004–2007)
NFL draft:2008 / round: 1 / pick: 10
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
As a player
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:802
Sacks:11
Forced fumbles:8
Fumble recoveries:7
Pass deflections:19
Interceptions:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Regular season:3–8 (.273)
Record at Pro Football Reference

During his playing career, Mayo was named Defensive Rookie of the Year, earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2010 after leading the league in tackles, and received a second Pro Bowl selection in 2012. Mayo rejoined the Patriots as an assistant coach in 2019 and succeeded Bill Belichick at head coach in 2024.

Early life

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Mayo was born in Hampton, Virginia. He attended Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, where he earned three letters in football as a linebacker and a running back.[1] As a senior, Mayo recorded 110 tackles, including 18 for loss, and two interceptions. Also playing running back for seven games, he picked up 1,245 rushing yards and scored 13 touchdowns and five two-point conversions during his final campaign. As a junior, he recorded 68 tackles including 22 for loss, four interceptions and three sacks and earned first-team All-District, All-Area and All-Region honors.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Mayo ranked eleventh among outside linebackers nationwide.[2] He chose Tennessee over North Carolina State, Purdue, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.[3]

Jerod's younger brother, Deron Mayo, was a linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.[4]

College career

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While attending the University of Tennessee, Mayo played for the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 2004 to 2007.[5] After redshirting the 2004 season, he appeared in six games at weak-side outside linebacker in 2005, finishing with 13 tackles (10 solo). Mayo made the Volunteers starting lineup as a redshirt sophomore in 2006, as he started 11 contests at weak-side outside linebacker. He finished third on the team with 83 tackles (48 solos), including five sacks for minus 40 yards, 12.5 stops for losses of 51 yards and a quarterback pressure. He also recovered one fumble and deflected a pass. Rivals.com subsequently named him to their All-American second-team.[5]

For his junior season, Mayo moved to middle linebacker and started all 14 games. Serving as the defensive squad's co-captain, he went on to register 140 tackles in 2007, the most by a Tennessee defender since Earnest Fields registered those same totals for the Volunteers in 1990. He added 1.5 quarterback sacks for minus 11 yards, 8.5 stops for losses and five quarterback pressures, and also returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. Mayo was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection and also earned All-American second-team honors by The NFL Draft Report.[5]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Mayo was considered one of the best linebackers available in the 2008 NFL draft and drew comparisons to Will Witherspoon.[6] Sporting News described Mayo as a “perfect fit to play one of the inside spots” in a 3-4 defense.

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄4 in
(1.86 m) 		242 lb
(110 kg) 		32+7⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.54 s 1.51 s 2.58 s 4.29 s 7.31 s 40.5 in
(1.03 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 22 reps
Vertical and Bench from Tennessee Pro Day; all others from NFL Scouting Combine[7][8]

2008 season

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The New England Patriots selected Mayo in the first round (10th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft. Mayo was the second linebacker drafted in 2008, behind Keith Rivers.[9]

On July 24, 2008, the Patriots signed Mayo to a five-year contract (rather than the six-year maximum allowed by the NFL's collective bargaining agreement) worth $18.9 million, including $13.8 million in bonuses and guarantees.[10] Mayo was the only rookie in the Patriots' 2008 class to start in Week 1, and played every snap for the defense.[11]

Mayo was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month for October 2008.[12] He led the Patriots with 24 tackles for the month, including 11 against the Denver Broncos in his first Monday Night Football appearance. In the Patriots' Thursday Night Football game on November 13, 2008, against their division rivals, the New York Jets, Mayo led all defensive players with 20 tackles (16 solo, 4 assisted), the first 20-tackle game of his career.[13]

At the end of the 2008 season, in which Mayo had 128 total tackles (100 solo, 28 assists) and a forced fumble, he was named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year for 2008 in a near-unanimous vote: Mayo received 49 of 50 votes cast, with Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers receiving the other vote.[14][15]

2009 season

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Mayo was injured in the Patriots' 2009 season opener against the Buffalo Bills. The sprained MCL in his knee was originally expected to keep him out 6–8 weeks,[16] but he returned in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. Mayo finished the 2009 season with 103 tackles and 1.5 sacks.[17]

2010 season

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In 2010, Mayo was named a defensive captain.[18] In Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins, Mayo recorded 16 tackles, and two weeks later notched 18 tackles in an overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 8, Mayo recorded 14 tackles in a win over the Minnesota Vikings. Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11, Mayo recorded 15 tackles in a win. In Week 12, Mayo's eight tackles gave him 132 on the season, surpassing his previous career high of 128, set in 2008. He added another 12 tackles in Week 13 against the New York Jets, and had 16 in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers. He ended the season with a league-high 175 tackles, along with two sacks and one forced fumble.[19][20]

He was named as a reserve to the 2011 Pro Bowl on January 2, 2011.[21] In the same season he was named to the 2010 All Pro team.[22]

On December 17, 2011, at the beginning of Week 15, it was announced that he had signed a 5-year contract extension with the Patriots.[23] He was ranked 62nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[24]

2011 season

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In 2011, Mayo missed three games due to injuries but still managed to eclipse the 100-tackle mark.[25] Mayo and the Patriots reached Super Bowl XLVI. In the game, Mayo had 11 tackles but the Patriots lost to the New York Giants by a score of 21–17.[26]

2012 season

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Mayo during the 2013 Pro Bowl

Mayo was voted a defensive co-captain by his teammates for the fourth straight year.[12]

On November 16, 2012, Mayo was fined $10,000 for a late hit out of bounds on Week 10 against C. J. Spiller with the Buffalo Bills.[27] This drew an unnecessary roughness call.

Later in the year, he was selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl in recognition of his successful 2012 season.[28]

2013 season

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Mayo was placed on injured reserve on October 16 after tearing his pectoral muscle on October 13 in a Patriots comeback win against the New Orleans Saints.[29]

2014 season

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On October 16, Mayo was placed on injured reserve with a torn patellar tendon that he suffered in a game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.[30]

Without Mayo, the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX after they defeated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28–24.[31]

2015 season

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Mayo's playing time dipped in the 2015 season, being behind Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins on the depth chart.[32] On January 19, 2016, days before the AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos, Mayo was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.[33]

On February 16, 2016, Mayo posted a message on his Instagram account announcing his retirement, thanking the Patriots for the previous eight years.[34]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2008 NE 16 16 128 100 28 0.0 1 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4
2009 NE 13 12 103 70 33 1.5 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2010 NE 16 16 174 113 61 2.0 1 3 −2 0 0 0.0 0 0 5
2011 NE 14 13 95 58 37 1.0 1 0 0 2 4 2.0 2 0 4
2012 NE 16 16 147 88 59 3.0 4 1 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 3
2013 NE 6 6 55 35 20 1.5 0 1 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2014 NE 6 6 53 37 16 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2015 NE 16 8 47 35 12 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
Career 103 93 802 536 266 11.0 8 7 0 3 4 1.0 2 0 19

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2009 NE 1 1 8 4 4 0.0 0 0 0 — — — — — 0
2010 NE 1 1 6 3 3 0.0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1
2011 NE 3 3 28 13 15 0.0 1 0 0 — — — — — 0
2012 NE 2 2 15 10 5 0.0 1 0 0 — — — — — 0
2013 NE 0 0 Did not play due to injury
2014 NE 0 0
2015 NE 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 — — — — — 0
Career 8 7 57 30 27 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1

Coaching career

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On March 27, 2019, Mayo was hired by the Patriots to be their inside linebackers coach.[35]

On January 12, 2024, the Patriots announced Mayo as the 15th head coach in franchise history and their first Black head coach.[36] He is the second member of the Patriots' 2008 draft class to become an NFL head coach, after Kevin O'Connell became head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 2022.[37] Mayo also became the youngest head coach in the NFL until a few weeks later when the Seattle Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald.[38] In his opening press conference, Mayo revealed his view on racism, saying: "I do see color." It created an awkward moment on stage with owner Robert Kraft, who tried to downplay Jerod Mayo's skin color.[39]

In his head coaching debut, Mayo led the Patriots to 16–10 upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the 2024 season.[40] After losing the next four games, Mayo made the decision to bench new quarterback Jacoby Brissett and named rookie Drake Maye as the new starter.[41]

Head coaching record

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Team Year Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
NE 2024 3 7 0 .300 TBD — — — —
Total 3 7 0 .300 0 0 –

Personal life

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Mayo is married to Chantel Mayo. The couple has three daughters and a son.[42] The family resides in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Mayo is a Christian.[43]

Mayo has four brothers and two sisters. Two of his brothers were also linebackers: his younger brother, Deron Mayo, played in the Canadian Football League and is currently the head strength and conditioning coach for the New England Patriots,[44][45] and Derek Mayo is a graduate of Richmond, where he won the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title in 2008.[46][47]

References

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  1. ^ Francisco, Alexandra (January 18, 2024). "Jerod Mayo's high school football coach knew he was destined for coaching long ago: 'I can't take any credit'". Patriots.com. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "Outside linebackers 2004". Rivals.com. January 25, 2004. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  3. ^ "Jerod Mayo, 2004 Outside Linebacker, Tennessee". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  4. ^ D'Abate, Mike (February 18, 2024). "Patriots Promoting Mayo Brother to Strength Coach?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Jerod Mayo". Tennessee Volunteers Athletics. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  6. ^ "Pro Football War Room: Jerod Mayo Profile". Sporting News. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  7. ^ "Jerod Mayo Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "Jerod Mayo, Tennessee, ILB, 2008 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  10. ^ Gasper, Christopher L. (July 24, 2008). "Top pick Mayo signs with Patriots". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  11. ^ Reiss, Mike (September 10, 2008). "Defensive snapshot". Boston.com Reiss' Pieces. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  12. ^ a b "Jerod Mayo". New England Patriots. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  13. ^ "New York Jets at New England Patriots – November 13th, 2008". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  14. ^ "Jerod Mayo 2008 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  15. ^ "Mayo is AP's top defensive rookie". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 1, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  16. ^ Gasper, Christopher L. (September 16, 2009). "Mayo has a sprained MCL". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  17. ^ "Jerod Mayo 2009 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Reiss, Mike (September 10, 2010). "2010 captains: Brady, Faulk, Mayo & Wilfork". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  19. ^ "2010 NFL Defense". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  20. ^ "Jerod Mayo 2010 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  21. ^ "2010 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  22. ^ "2010 NFL All-Pros". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  23. ^ Reiss, Mike (December 18, 2011). "Source: Pats extend Jerod Mayo's deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  24. ^ "2011 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "Jerod Mayo 2011 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  26. ^ "Super Bowl XLVI – New York Giants vs. New England Patriots – February 5th, 2012". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  27. ^ "Fines roundup: Tim Dobbins of Texans fined for Jay Cutler hit". National Football League. November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  28. ^ Kyed, Doug (January 12, 2024). "How Jerod Mayo was fast-tracked into becoming the Patriots' new head coach". Boston Herald. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  29. ^ "Patriots place Jerod Mayo on IR; Re-sign DT Andre Neblett". www.patriots.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013.
  30. ^ Howe, Jeff (October 16, 2014). "Report: Jerod Mayo underwent surgery on patellar tendon". The Boston Herald. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  31. ^ "Patriots Win Wild Super Bowl XLIX; Seahawks Doomed By Play Call". CBS – New York. Associated Press. February 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "2015 New England Patriots Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  33. ^ Wilson, Ryan (January 19, 2016). "Patriots place Jerod Mayo on IR; Belichick mum on Collins, Jones". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  34. ^ "Patriots LB Jerod Mayo retires". Sports Illustrated. February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  35. ^ O'Malley, Nick (March 27, 2019). "Jerod Mayo returning to New England Patriots as linebackers coach". masslive.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  36. ^ "Patriots to Host an Introductory Press Conference to Announce the Promotion of Jerod Mayo as the 15th Head Coach in Franchise History". patriots.com. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  37. ^ "Minnesota Vikings officially hire 'innovative' Kevin O'Connell as new head coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 16, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  38. ^ Dubin, Jared (January 31, 2024). "Seahawks' Mike Macdonald new youngest head coach in NFL, passing Jerod Mayo and ending Sean McVay's 7-year run". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  39. ^ Whitt, Richie (January 17, 2024). "Mayo on Racism: 'I Do See Color'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  40. ^ Reiss, Mike (September 8, 2024). "Pats' Mayo gets game ball after 'special' first win". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  41. ^ "Source: Pats to start for rest rookie QB Maye vs. Texans". ESPN.com. October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  42. ^ Sarie (October 8, 2013). "Jerod Mayo is a Family Man". Black Celebrity Kids. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  43. ^ Ackerman, Jon (January 12, 2024). "Jerod Mayo to be Patriots' next head coach, ready for 'wherever God wants to take me'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  44. ^ "Deron Mayo | Roster | Calgary Stampeders". November 23, 2014. Archived from the original on November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  45. ^ "Deron Mayo". www.patriots.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  46. ^ O'Connor, John (December 17, 2018). "10 things to know about the Spiders' 2008 FCS championship". Richmond.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  47. ^ "Derek Mayo". richmondspiders.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
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