FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots have started discussions for a long-term contract extension with linebackers coach Jerod Mayo and Bill Belichick will also begin interviewing candidates for offensive coordinator next week.
The team made the announcements in a statement Thursday. It comes on the heels of Mayo being sought for the second straight offseason for interviews for one of the NFL’s open head coaching jobs. The Carolina Panthers are the latest team to request permission to talk to him, Mayo also interviewed last offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Patriots are looking to hire their first offensive coordinator since Josh McDaniels left following the 2021 season to take the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job. Matt Patricia, an assistant with an extensive defensive pedigree, served as the Patriots’ primary offensive play-caller this season.
But the unit struggled, with second-year quarterback Mac Jones regressing during an underachieving season that had the Patriots’ offense ranked in the bottom half of the league in points per game and red zone touchdowns.
Mayo, 36, played eight seasons and won a Super Bowl with the Patriots during the 2014 season before being hired as an assistant in 2019.
Well-respected among New England players, he has made no secret that he has head coaching aspirations.
“That’s never changed,” Mayo said last month. “I think I’m ready to be a head coach in the league.”
PANTHERS: Carolina requested permission from New England to interview Mayo, and also asked San Francisco to speak with defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, according to a person familiar with the situation.
BRIAN FLORES, who joined Coach Mike Tomlin’s staff in Pittsburgh following his messy departure in Miami, is interviewed with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday to be their new defensive coordinator.
Flores is the second candidate to meet with the Browns this week. On Wednesday, they interviewed former Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who spent the past two seasons as a defensive senior adviser with Tennessee.
RAVENS: Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s absence extended into Thursday with his knee injury, while backup Tyler Huntley resumed throwing. The day, however, included one significant development – an update from the star quarterback’s Twitter account.
“Thank you everyone for your support and concerns regarding my injuries. I want to give you all an update as I am in the recovery process,” Jackson tweeted. “I’ve suffered a PCL grade 2 sprain on the borderline of a strain 3. There is still inflammation surrounding my knee and my knee remains unstable. I’m still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery. I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything but I can’t give a 100% of myself to my guys and fans I’m still hopeful we still have a chance.”
With the Ravens poised to meet the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday night’s AFC wild-card playoff round, it’s looking increasingly likely that they will be without their starting quarterback. Thursday was the 17th straight practice Jackson has missed since being injured in the first quarter of an eventual 10-9 win against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 4. He’s missed the past five games.
Huntley, Jackson’s backup, was present Thursday, but unlike Wednesday, he threw the ball and was active during drills. Tendonitis in his right throwing shoulder and issues with his right wrist had limited him.
TEXANS: Houston interviewed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on Thursday, making him the first announced candidate for their head coaching vacancy.
Texans General Manager Nick Caserio is searching for his third coach in as many years. Lovie Smith was 3-13-1 in one season and was fired on Monday, a year after Houston fired David Culley following one season and a 4-13 record.
DEREK CARR said Thursday, in first public comments since being benched by Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels with two weeks left in the season, that he is ready for the challenge of playing in a new city.
“I once said that if I’m not a Raider I would rather be at home and I meant that, but I never envisioned it ending this way,” Carr posted on Twitter. That fire burning inside of me to win a championship still rages. A fire no man can extinguish; only God. So I look forward to a new city and a new team who, no matter the circumstance, will get everything I have.”
Carr started 142 games over nine seasons for the Raiders, providing stability to a franchise that had cycled through 17 starting quarterbacks in the 11 years before he arrived as a second-round pick in 2014.
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Atlanta will be the neutral site if Buffalo and Kansas City meet in the AFC championship game.
The NFL decided to put that potential matchup in a neutral city after the Bills’ Week 17 game against Cincinnati was canceled when Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field.
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