Ex-Colorado Buffaloes Star Reveals How Bill Belichick ‘Sabotaged’ Jerod Mayo’s Career by Convincing His Wife for the Patriots Coaching Role

Situations were not in favor of Bill Belichick. With a disappointing 8–9 record in the 2022–23 season and a 4–13 record the next season (the team’s worst in his 24 seasons as head coach), Belichick knew his time was up. Settling with 14 wins behind Don Shula’s 347 in the all-time wins list, Belichick’s pursuit to get his successor on his side started long before January 11, 2024—the day that marked the end of the hoodie era for the New England Patriots.

After an illustrious eight-year stint with the Patriots as a player, where he racked up 905 total tackles, earned a Super Bowl ring, and multiple Pro Bowl nods, former linebacker Jerod Mayo retired in 2016. Out came, a surprising announcement at the end of 2022-23 season: “The New England Patriots and Head Coach Bill Belichick have begun contract extension discussions with Jerod Mayo that would keep him with the team long-term.”

If we were to tell you that this was the breakthrough moment to have Mayo by the HC’s side again, that would just be a scratch on the surface.

The pursuit began before 2019 when Mayo finally accepted the offer of joining the staff as the inside linebackers coach. Belichick knew exactly who to reach out to. Former NFL defensive back and analyst, Solomon Wilcots revealed this on Wednesday’s Ross Tucker’s show.

“I think that’s High Praise when you have someone like Mayo who Bill Belichick had to talk into coming into coaching, spoke to his wife.

“If you have been hand-chosen by a Bill [Belichick] and a Robert Kraft, I think that speaks very highly of you.”

The newly minted head honcho of the New England Patriots, who unfolded the truth about Belichick in convincing Mayo’s wife, Chantel, to lure him back into the coaching ranks confirmed it in a one-on-one interview after his introductory press conference on January 18. Mayo, who now is the youngest head coach in the league, revealed,

“We were actually on vacation, and [Chantel] had been kind of like sprinkling in the idea because I was traveling so much in business. ‘You know, maybe you should get back into coaching.” 

At the time, the 37-year-old was VP of Optum business development. Mayo, who was to be named as the 15th head coach of the Patriots, recounted with a chuckle, “When I retired, Bill asked me to coach and I was like: ‘No, I kind of need a break,’ and I wanted to do something different — but she was very instrumental. Coach, honestly, had her — I forgot where we were, at dinner or something — and he was talking to her in the corner. I’m like: ‘Well, there it is: sabotage.'”

Family is one but did you know the one well-wisher, back from his high school days who never got a break to watch Mayo play in the Gillette Stadium, reached an hour early to take his second-row seat at the introductory press conference?

It was his Kecoughtan High School coach Tommy Austin. After the conference was over, a teary-eyed proud coach in Austin could say the sweetest thing for Mayo, “Other than getting married and having my two children, this is the highlight of my life.”

Mayo has now moved up in the Patriots camp as the first Black head coach in the 64-year history of the franchise. As Mayo admitted to reporters, “Becoming a Patriot has never felt like a job, rather a calling.”For Belichick, grooming Mayo as his successor was more than just finding the right X’s and O’s fit; it was about passing down a legacy, a philosophy that transcends playbooks and schemes like a well-executed blitz.

Bill Belichick wants to take on the “Patriot Way”

As Mayo’s responsibilities grew, so did his understanding of Belichick’s approach. “He’s a teacher first and foremost,” Mayo said, acknowledging the mentorship that shaped his coaching style and mindset. From managing expectations to ignoring the noise and doing one’s job – a mantra etched on the doorway at Gillette Stadium – Mayo imbibed the principles that have defined Belichick’s reign like a true Patriot disciple. Achievements poured in soon after.

And as the Patriots defense flourished under his guidance, with standouts like Matthew Judon tallying a franchise-record 15.5 sacks in 2022 and Josh Uche earning AFC Player of the Week honors after a three-sack performance, Mayo’s readiness for the top job became evident like a quarterback reading a defense.

In a league where dynasties are as fleeting as a running back’s career, Belichick’s decision to hand over the reins to Mayo signifies a commitment to sustaining the Patriots’ winning culture – a “Patriot Way” that has yielded six Lombardi Trophies and echoes the words of the legendary Vince Lombardi himself: “Winning is a habit.”

As Mayo steps into the spotlight, he carries the weight of expectations like a seasoned left tackle, but also the wisdom imparted by a coaching legend who saw in him the makings of a true leader – one who, as Bruschi noted, has “the ability to communicate with anyone and make them feel like you are on an equal level.”