Jerod Mayo is focused on the Buffalo Bills. He made that abundantly clear during his Tuesday afternoon video conference.
But make no mistake: Mayo wants to be an NFL head coach. And he has every intention of interviewing for the Denver Broncos’ vacancy, even if that interview does not happen this week.
The Broncos submitted a request Monday to meet with Mayo, who is in his third season as the Patriots’ inside linebackers coach. Denver fired head coach Vic Fangio on Sunday and is searching for his replacement.
“Right now, all my focus is on the Buffalo Bills,” Mayo said as the Patriots prepare to visit Buffalo this Sunday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. “I’ll absolutely take the interview, but right now it’s all about the Bills.”
Mayo said becoming an NFL head coach “always has been” a goal of his.
The Broncos will be the second head-coaching interview for the 35-year-old Mayo, who also met with the Philadelphia Eagles last season. The Eagles came away impressed by the former Patriots linebacker’s leadership traits, according to multiple reports, but opted to hire Nick Sirianni. Mayo also has been connected to the open Chicago Bears job.
Though Mayo landing a head-coaching position elsewhere would remove an important member from New England’s coaching staff, Mayo said he’s had the full support of head coach Bill Belichick and others in the organization.
“Bill’s been great with that stuff,” Mayo said. “He’s been an open book for me. Whether we’re talking X’s and O’s or the structure of the team or anything like that, he’s been great. Matty (Patricia) has been a great resource. All these guys have been great resources for me. The focus is about this season, but at the same time, development has always been a huge factor for me as far as coaching is concerned.”
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and former Patriots quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch have offered guidance, as well, Mayo said.
“Those guys have been great mentors and great resources for me,” he said.
Unlike some prospective head-coaching candidates, Mayo cannot dedicate all of his time to interview prep. He still has a job do: help ensure Bills quarterback Josh Allen cannot replicate his electric Week 16 performance against the Patriots this Saturday night. And that’s where his attention is this week.
“I would hope that any prospective employer would understand that my focus is 100% on the job at hand,” Mayo said. “If that causes me not to get a job — because I’m focused on the job at hand — so be it. I am happy here. If I don’t get a job because I’m focused on beating the Buffalo Bills, I’m OK.
“I was a first-round draft pick in 2008, man. I’m OK. And I don’t mean to sound that way, but my main focus is the guys in this room. It’s not about getting a job somewhere else. I have a job here right now. So we’ll see what happens.”
McDaniels also received head-coaching interest in recent years, but he has yet to be directly linked to any openings during this hiring cycle.
“I know nothing about that,” the Patriots OC said Tuesday, adding that he’s “totally immersed and focused on preparing for the Buffalo Bills.”
