Jerod Mayo

Jerod Andrew Mayo Sr. (born February 23, 1986) is an American former professional football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the New England Patriots. He also served as the head coach of the Patriots in 2024. Mayo played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, receiving first-team All-SEC honors in 2007. He was selected by the Patriots 10th overall in the 2008 NFL draft.

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 two Pro Bowl selections. He rejoined the Patriots to be the inside linebackers coach, a position he held from 2019 to 2023. In 2024, he was named head coach, but was fired after one season.

Early life 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. As a senior, he 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. He chose University of Tennessee over North Carolina State, Purdue, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.

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

College career While attending Tennessee, Mayo played for the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 2004 to 2007. 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.

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

2008 season 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. 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. Mayo was the only rookie in the Patriots' 2008 class to start in Week 1, and played every snap for the defense.

Mayo was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month for October 2008. 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.

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.

2009 season 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, but he returned in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. Mayo finished the 2009 season with 103 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

2010 season In 2010, Mayo was named a defensive captain. 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.

He was named as a reserve to the 2011 Pro Bowl on January 2, 2011. In the same season he was named to the 2010 All Pro team. 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. He was ranked 62nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.

2011 season In 2011, Mayo missed three games due to injuries but still managed to eclipse the 100-tackle mark. 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.

2012 season

Mayo was voted a defensive co-captain by his teammates for the fourth straight year. That drew an unnecessary roughness call.

Later in 2012, he was selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl in recognition of a standout 2012 season.

2013 season 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.

2014 season 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. Without Mayo, the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX after they defeated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28–24.

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

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

NFL career statistics Legend Won the Super Bowl Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season 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 1Career 103 93 802 536 266 11.0 8 7 0 3 4 1.0 2 0 19

Postseason 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 — — — — — 0Career 8 7 57 30 27 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1

Coaching career On March 27, 2019, Mayo was hired by the Patriots to be their inside linebackers coach. On January 12, 2024, after parting ways with Bill Belichick, the Patriots announced Mayo as the 15th head coach in franchise history and their first Black head coach. 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. Mayo also became the youngest head coach in the NFL until a few weeks later when the Seattle Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald. In his opening press conference, Mayo revealed his view on racism, saying: "I do see color," leading to an awkward moment on stage with owner Robert Kraft, who tried to downplay Mayo's skin color.

Mayo's Patriots struggled throughout the 2024 season, going on two separate six-game losing streaks and finishing the season with a 4–13 record. Although the team won the final game of the season, Mayo faced further criticism because the victory cost the Patriots the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft. In what would be his last press conference as head coach, Mayo defended the victory, saying that his goal was to always win.

On January 5, 2025, less than two hours after the Patriots' season finale ended, Kraft announced that Mayo would not return as the Patriots' head coach for the 2025 season, making him the second Patriots coach fired after one season. (The first was Rod Rust, who went 1–15 in 1990.) The move came after significant regression from 2023 under Belichick, especially on defense (where Mayo had played and coached), and multiple press conference gaffes where Mayo was forced to walk back comments.

According to a report from Chad Graff of The Athletic, citing sources within the team, Mayo had sought to differentiate himself and his style of coaching from Belichick but it backfired on him as he "struggled to apply and uphold discipline after positioning himself as a players' coach." One Patriots source said "onestly, Jerod is a good guy. I just don't think he was ready for all the big decisions and discipline and focus the job takes." Graff also pointed to the fact that Mayo had only five seasons of coaching experience prior to his promotion to head coach, and had never worked as a full-time coordinator. Kraft took accountability for Mayo's struggles, saying that he put him in "an untenable situation."

Head coaching record Team Year Regular season PostseasonWonLostTiesWin %Finish Won Lost Win % ResultNE2024 4 13 0 4th in AFC East — — — —Total 4 13 0 0 0 .000

Personal life Mayo and his wife, Chantel, have four children. They live in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Jerod is a Christian.

He has four brothers and two sisters. Two of his brothers were also linebackers: his younger brother, Deron, played in the Canadian Football League and is the head strength and conditioning coach for the New England Patriots, while Derek is a graduate of the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, where he won the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title in 2008. Mayo held a cameo role in the 2012 film The Three Stooges, alongside Troy Brown.

In February 2026, Mayo became the managing director of the Fifth Down Capital private equity firm.