Patriots Rumors: What Jerod Mayo Promotion Means For Bill O’Brien

We now know that Jerod Mayo is the next head coach of the New England Patriots. He was hired on Friday, a day after Bill Belichick “mutually” parted ways with the franchise.

But what now will happen to under-contract assistants, specifically offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien? Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard offered some insight in a piece published Thursday night.

He also touched on who could be installed as the next general manager, a vacancy the Patriots reportedly are looking to fill.

“From all indications, including multiple league sources, the Patriots are likely to go forward with Jerod Mayo as head coach,” Bedard wrote. “Most think Bill O’Brien is also likely to stay, but that’s not as clear. Personnel could be handled by an internal candidate like Eliot Wolf.”

It’s unclear who could replace O’Brien if he ends up leaving the Patriots. Josh McDaniels, who attended Belichick’s farewell on Thursday, seemingly would be a top candidate, but at least one report indicates he could follow his longtime mentor to his next destination.

The Patriots also could look to hire a traditional defensive coordinator after not assigning anyone the title since 2017. Defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington and linebackers coach Steve Belichick would be the top internal candidates, but their respective futures with the franchise also are unclear.

The Patriots plan to hold a press conference for Mayo sometime next week, at which point we could learn more additional staffing details.