Ian Rapoport Sheds Light on Patriots’ Future Following Bill Belichick’s Departure

The New England Patriots have parted ways with Bill Belichick after their 24-year-old marriage and six Super Bowl wins. In the wake of this, the Pats are in the market for a new HC and the answer may be right in front of them. Like Mike Vrabel, Jerod Mayo might just get a chance to take the reins of the New England Patriots.

Ian Rapoport shed some light on what is about to come for the team, and while they are still looking for options, they might have their last resort all figured out. The times have changed, and the teams are looking for younger coaches. This night is one of those decisions.

New England Patriots ready with a backup amid Bill Belichick’s sacking

Per Rapoport’s sources, the Patriots’ inside LB Coach Jerod Mayo looks like the next man to step up in Bill Belichick’s shoes. Doing this will minimize the time and resources the Patriots might have to spend to find another match, which might not even work out for them.

Rapoport’s tweet said, “Sources: Jerod Mayo is a strong candidate to replace Bill Belichick & if he is the choice, the #Patriots could simply hire him. No need to go through the lengthy hiring process — they established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract & communicated it to the NFL.”

Over the past couple of seasons, the Patriots’ performance has become progressively worse. In the 2020–21 season, the Pats finished the season in third place in the AFC East with a 7-9 record. The following year and the year after that, they hung around the second and third spots. This year, the Pats finished last with an abysmal 4-13 season.

Considering the steady decline, it’s safe to say that this day was coming. He may be able to get a spot with the Tennessee Titans, considering they’re also in the market for a new HC. However, there isn’t any shortage of coaches who would like to join the Patriots because of their legacy and their steadfastness.

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The future faces of the New England Patriots

Besides Jerod Mayo, the Pats have a lot of options at their disposal. The common consensus among the prospects is Mike Vrabel, who has worked with Belichick in the past. Vrabel won the Coach of the Year award in 2021 and took the Titans to a divisional championship game in 2019.

Speaking of Mayo, he wanted to stick with the Patriots and denied an interview with the Panthers last year. He would make a great case for the team if they wanted to conduct internal hiring.

Other options may be the Vikings’ DC Brian Flores who was also the Patriots assistant coach from 2008 to 2018. Hence, Robert Kraft has a degree of familiarity with him over the others. Another option might be Ben Johnson, the OC for the Detroit Lions. While Wes Walker, the Dolphins WR coach, is also in the running for the position.

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