The Patriots did have a succession plan in place.
New England linebackers coach Jerod Mayo has been hired as the team’s next coach and will be introduced next week, the team announced.
The Patriots opted for the former Patriots linebacker over recently fired Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
New England did not waste any time finding its Belichick replacement, hiring Mayo one day after it parted with Belichick after his historic 24-year run.
Mayo, a former Patriots linebacker, had been projected as the favorite to succeed Belichick.
The Patriots had laid out a “firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract” to have Mayo follow Belichick as their next head coach, according to NFL.com.
That contract detail allowed them to move swiftly to hire a new coach for the first time since 2000.
Mayo, 37, has long ties to the franchise.
He won a Super Bowl title during his time with the franchise from 2008-15 after being selected with the 10th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft following a strong college career with Tennessee.
Mayo was named a team captain from his second season onward, and some players called him “Bill Jr.” since they viewed him as a future coach, per ESPN.
He made two Pro Bowls in 2010 and 2012, earned Associated Press All-Pro First Team honors in 2010 and was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2008.
After his playing career ended, Mayo worked for Optum in the finance world before joining Belichick’s staff in 2019 as the linebackers coach.
The Patriots foreshadowed their plans last offseason when they signed Mayo to an extension with the goal of keeping him with the franchise for the long term.
Team owner Robert Kraft even labeled Mayo as a possible “heir apparent” before the season.
“Well, he’s definitely a strong candidate to be the heir apparent, but we have some other good people in our system,” Kraft told NFL Network in March.
Mayo clearly proved to be a strong candidate, and he will now try to help the Patriots rebound from their worst season (4-13) during the Belichick era.
It helps that the Patriots have the No. 3 pick in a quarterback-heavy draft, and the team reportedly is searching for a general manager since Belichick handled those duties.