Former Tennessee linebacker and former NFL veteran Jerod Mayo seems to be close to landing his first NFL head coaching job. After reports linked Mayo’s name to both the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos jobs, one more prominent NFL team has appeared on the radar.
According to a tweet from NFL analyst Adam Schefter on Thursday, “Patriots’ LB coach Jerod Mayo is expected to emerge as a leading candidate for the Houston Texans’ HC job“.
In addition, NFL insider Ian Rapoport also backed up Schefter’s claim while on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday morning.
“Jerod Mayo has a real, real, real chance in Houston,” Rapoport said on the Friday show. “Like, I think a very good chance.”
McAfee responded with a question for more information saying, “Is Jerod Mayo down there because Caserio knows – Ok, young head coach, I can still do my thing. Is that going to be run through Caserio? … And Jerod Mayo one of his guys? He’s like hey, I get along with this guy, I can go in his ear, I can tell him stuff if he wants and he will be able to handle it. Is that why that’s potentially going to happen there?”
Rapoport’s response changed the topic away from Mayo but did double-down later on that he could see that being a match in Houston. The person that McAfee is referencing here, Nick Caserio, is currently the general manager of the Texans. Caserio was named Houston’s G.M. on Jan. 7, 2021.
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According to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer last Friday, Mayo was a name that was being considered as a replacement for Matt Nagy in Chicago. Then, according to multiple reports on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos have also contacted the New England Patriots regarding an interview with Mayo.
Since his time at Tennessee, Mayo has spent his entire NFL career with the Patriots in New England. Mayo’s eight-year playing career with the Patriots included a Super Bowl championship, two Pro Bowl selections, and one first-team All-Pro selection.
However, in 2019, Mayo then transitioned into a coaching role with the team under head coach Bill Belichick. Mayo took over as the Patriots’ linebackers coach, a position he currently holds today.
Mayo was a game-changing player in the mid-2000s for Tennessee as a first-team All-SEC selection in 2007, which paved the way for him to be taken with the tenth pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Additionally, when Tennessee was looking to replace Jeremy Pruitt in 2021, Jerod Mayo was a name that was even popping up on some analysts’ hot boards throughout the coaching search.
