FOXBORO, Mass. — Jerod Mayo almost certainly will be an NFL head coach at some point, be it for the Patriots or another franchise.
And when he does accomplish that goal, don’t be surprised if one of Mayo’s former New England teammates lands on his staff as an assistant.
“I think Dont’a Hightower would be a very good coach,” Mayo said Tuesday morning at Gillette Stadium, as transcribed by 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth. “When I get a chance to run my own ship, I’ll try to recruit him.”
Hightower and Mayo spent four seasons as Patriots teammates. Once Mayo retired following the 2015 season, Hightower established himself as New England’s top inside linebacker, a role in which he excelled for many seasons. The 33-year-old announced his own NFL retirement in late March.
For now, Hightower is enjoying retirement and Mayo is working as a top defensive coach in New England. After generating head coaching interest during the offseason, Mayo, a linebackers coach the last four years, returned to the Patriots in a still-unclear but obviously increased role.
“I don’t have a title yet,” Mayo said Tuesday. ” … There are some things that they let me participate in. … I was in some of the interview processes, which was a great experience for me. Offensive line (coach) interviews, and also offensive coordinator interviews.”
As for Hightower, it’s unclear whether he has any plans of pursuing coaching during his post-playing career. But if he does, he probably can expect to get a call from Mayo.
