Jerod Mayo, the first New England Patriots coach since Bill Belichick, already has high praise for troubled quarterback Mack Jones. Jones, the team’s top signal caller since being selected 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, manned the position four times last season as the Patriots went 4-13.
The work ethic of Mayo Jones, who the Patriots introduced as Belichick’s successor earlier this week, appears to have impressed the organization’s newly promoted leader. “Mac Jones was working out,” Mayo told ESPN. “That attitude, that turn-the-page mentality, I really appreciate.”Patriots owner Robert Draft and newly named New England Patriots head coach Jerrod Mayo speak to the media during a press conference on Jan. 17, 2024.
Jones was also among the Patriots who attended Mayo’s introductory press conference.ESPN noted that Mayo would be open to building his own roster, both on the field and in the coaching staff. ESPN’s Mike Reiss said, referring to Mayo Jones and backup Bailey Zappe, “Mayo is keeping his options open and says he’s in an evaluation period for every position, including coaches.
These guys are designed quarterbacks.” , “There is something I can do and that is to improve and develop.”Jerod Mayo played for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015, serving as the team’s inside linebackers coach for five seasons before being promoted to head coach.The Alabama graduate threw for 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and his 77.0 quarterback rating ranked 33rd in the league behind Jets starter Zach Wilson, who finished 32nd.
Mac Jones is entering the final year of his current contract with the New England Patriots, but is eligible to exercise his fifth-year option next season. Jones finished the year as the team’s backup QB without a win since a 10–7 loss to the Giants on November 26. Zappe, the Patriots’ backup quarterback, started the final six games of the season.Zappe, a 2022 fourth-round pick, has two years left on his contract and his 2-4 record as a starter has matched Jones’ wins despite the difference in starts.
However, Zappe appeared in 10 games, including one at shorts top Mac Jones was benched four times during the 2023 season. In 2023, Zappé had 1,272 passing yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions, completing just 60 percent of his passes and posting an even worse quarterback rating of 68.7.Before taking over as New England’s head coach, Mayo was the team’s inside linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023.His coaching career followed a successful playing career in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
The Patriots selected Mayo 10th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft and he played eight seasons in New England, retiring after the 2015 season. With the Patriots, Mayo was the starting middle linebacker for the team that defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the 2014 Super Bowl.
However, Mayo played in just six games that year and missed Super Bowl XLIX after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee and requiring season-ending surgery. During his career, Mayo made two Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team in addition to a Super Bowl ring. He also won AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008.
