Patriots assistant Jerod Mayo says he’s ready to be NFL coach, whenever and wherever he gets chance

Whether Bill Belichick’s future as the New England Patriots head coach will extend beyond this season remains an open question.

But one of the candidates to possibly succeed the legendary coach reiterated on Tuesday that he believes he’s ready for an opportunity to lead an NFL team.

Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo said despite coaching during New England’s worst season under Belichick, he’s garnered perspective he believes will be invaluable whenever — and wherever — he gets a chance to lead a team.

“When I think about when I do get my opportunity — and I don’t know when that’s going to be — honestly, I’m kind of like a dry leaf blowing in the wind, wherever (it) takes me,” Mayo said. “But at the same time, I feel like I’m prepared. I feel like I’m ready. I look forward to the opportunity, wherever that may be.”

Mayo has been near the top of the list as viable Belichick successors since the Patriots took the unique step of announcing they were giving the assistant a long-term extension last offseason.

Though it’s unclear what the terms of Mayo’s new deal include, it came after the 37-year-old interviewed for head coaching jobs in Philadelphia and Carolina each of the past two years.

Mayo, who played for New England for eight seasons, won a Super Bowl ring with the team during the 2014 season and was hired as an assistant coach in 2019.

In the later role he has since developed a reputation for being well-respected among players. Together with outside linebackers coach and defensive play-caller Stephen Belichick they have led a Patriots defense that has remained ranked highly in several categories despite losing top linebacker Matt Judon and rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez early to season-ending injuries.

Mayo was also asked Tuesday about a Boston Sports Journal story last month that said Mayo “rubbed at least some people the wrong way in the building” since signing his recent extension.

“It was more hurtful than anything,” Mayo said. “I found it to be, well, the timing is a little bit weird in my opinion. If that was the case, I feel like this would have been leaked sometime earlier.”

Its origin aside, Mayo said after giving it some thought, he didn’t totally take offense to criticism.

“Sometimes that’s part of the job of being a leader, is to rub people the wrong way,” he said. “I always try to be constructive and respectful in my feedback and some people appreciate that transparency and some don’t. But at the end of the day, if we can’t rub people the wrong way, how do you expect to be the best you can be?”

That report came out the same week an ESPN story quoted sources that Mayo may not be Patriots team owner Robert Kraft’s top choice to follow Belichick if the decision is made to part ways with him after this season.

For his part Belichick began this week by continuing to remain mum about Sunday’s season finale against the Jets possibly being his final one as New England’s coach.

During his weekly appearance on WEEI Boston’s “The Greg Hill Show” he also sidestepped a question about Mayo being considered his “heir apparent,” and instead took the opportunity to praise his entire defensive staff.

“All of our defensive coaches have done a really good job,” Belichick said. “They work together. It’s hard to single everybody out because they work so well together as a total group.”

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