Jerod Mayo isn’t exactly recruiting three-time New England Patriots Super Bowl champion Dont’a Hightower onto a coaching staff yet, but he’s positioning himself to do so in the future.
“I think Hightower would be a phenomenal coach,” Mayo told reporters Tuesday when meeting with the media for the first time this offseason, per team-provided video. “So, we’ll see. When I get a chance to run my own ship, I’ll try to recruit him.”
Drumming up a scene of Hightower having a headset on, maybe a play sheet in his hand and standing next to Mayo on an NFL sideline certainly is a plausible one. The two suited up alongside each other for four seasons with the Patriots before Mayo retired after the 2015 season. Hightower officially hung up his cleats for good in late March after nine seasons, all of which came with New England.
So, could Hightower have found his next job? He didn’t rule out coaching when he reacted to Mayo’s comments with an emoji-only tweet.
Coaching seems like it would be a perfect fit for the 33-year-old Hightower, who was a leader on the Patriots defense at the middle linebacker position and knows what it takes to win at the highest of level.
Mayo obviously sees the right coaching qualities in Hightower. And it might not be too long until Mayo gets his chance to be an NFL coach, whether in New England or elsewhere. While his specific title this season with the Patriots is unknown, he is in a more elevated role than in the past. He’s spent the last four seasons officially as the Patriots’ linebackers coach.
And Mayo sure has the feel of a head coach, already laying the ground work of having Hightower as a future member of his coaching staff.
