The New England Patriots have a new coach after 24 years! After finally “mutually” parting ways with Bill Belichick this week, the Patriots immediately hired a new head coach. This time, the coach is one of the former Patriots players, Jerod Mayo.

On Thursday, Belichick said goodbye to the Patriots. He wrapped up one of the most decorated coaching dynasties in NFL history for 24 seasons. At an emotional press conference, Belichick expressed his gratitude for the team and promised to be a Patriot forever. Soon after his exit, the team hired Jerod Mayo as their 15th head coach, and veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux is happy.

Davon Godchaux sees Jerod Mayo as the leader!

After Bill Belichick’s glorious 24 years, owner Robert Kraft and the team hired Jerod Mayo as Belichick’s successor on Friday. Mayo is the franchise’s 15th head coach. The team further announced that they will introduce Mayo at a press conference next week. Per the present players of the team, Mayo is seen as a motivating players’ coach. Some analysts and players see him as a successful coach like Mike McDaniel and Antonio Pierce. The veteran player of the Patriots, Davon Godchaux, expressed his happiness after Mayo’s entry. He said that Mayo deserves to be the head coach of the team while emphasizing his leadership qualities.

He praised him, saying, “You have to have your guys want to get up and play for you. It’s not easy to do in the NFL when you have other grown men. It’s not easy to get up to play for coaches, especially coaches you don’t respect. I think I’m speaking for everybody when I say everybody respects Coach Mayo.” Godchaux also added that Mayo stands out as an alpha male, someone they respect and enjoy being around. He also highlighted Mayo’s ability to balance fun and seriousness, creating a positive environment where players are motivated to give their best on the field.

However, it’s important to note that Mayo has an arguably “mediocre” record as a coach.

How is Jerod Mayo’s career?

Jerod Mayo had an illustrious eight-year playing career as a linebacker for New England. He served as the team’s linebackers coach under Belichick since 2023. Before this, he joined the franchise as the inside linebackers coach in 2019. After being hired as the new HC, Mayo is now the first former Patriots player to become the head coach of the team. As a player, he was a Super Bowl champion and a two-time Pro Bowler with the same team.

Mayo is known as one of the NFL’s most sought-after coaches. However, the NFL history records suggest something else. Despite being a good linebacker coach, Mayo does not have such great stats. As the inside linebacker coach, Mayo has helped the Patriots reach the playoffs only once in 2019, and the Pats lost the game to the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card game. After that, he has never made it to the playoffs. Therefore, selecting him as the new head coach has led to speculation about the Pats’ future.

Read more: NFL Rumors: Patriots Never Reached Out to Jim Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel, or Ben Johnson. Why?

Nevertheless, he is still backed up and respected by his team, as highlighted by the Patriots’ defensive tackle Davon Godchaux.

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