FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jerod Mayo was clear when he was hired as the New England Patriots’ new coach that he wanted to empower his staff with the freedom to have a voice both on the sideline and in the meeting rooms.
His new trio of coordinators said Wednesday they are confident they will have the space they need to help the franchise begin its rebuilding process next season.
Mayo announced the addition of 17 assistants this week, who will provide support for himself and new coordinators Alex Van Pelt (offensive), DeMarcus Covington (defensive) and Jeremy Springer (special teams).
The group is a mix of first-time coaches such as former Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who will coach his former position, and veterans such as Ben McAdoo, the former New York Giants head coach, who will be a senior offensive assistant.
As a first-time head coach, Mayo said hiring a former head coach such as McAdoo was intentional.
“It was important to me to have someone I could bounce questions off of that’s actually sat in that seat,” Mayo said. “It’s been great. And I’ve had a relationship with coaches around the league as well who have offered to help. They’re not in the AFC, so that’s a good thing.”
Mayo said the director of scouting, Eliot Wolf, was a key partner in helping build the staff, and his imprint is easy to spot.
Wolf worked with Van Pelt and new defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery during Wolf’s time in Green Bay’s front office.
McAdoo was also the quarterbacks coach for the Packers in 2012 and 2013 when Van Pelt was the running backs coach.
Mayo said the fact Van Pelt was fired after four seasons as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator wasn’t a deterrent to bringing him in to try and fix a Patriots offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in multiple categories.
“AVP … I don’t want to get into what happened in Cleveland, but all the people I talked to – they speak very highly of AVP,” Mayo said. “Obviously he understands the X’s and O’s of the game, but also developing talent. And really he is a relationship guy, which I fundamentally believe is very important. Before you get into X’s and O’s on the field with guys, they’ve got to know you care about them.”
Van Pelt and Covington both confirmed they will call plays next season.
Though it will be his first time doing so at this level, Covington said working in multiple defensive coaching roles during his previous seven years as an assistant has prepared him.
“It just doesn’t happen overnight,” Covington said. “This is something I’ve been preparing, something I’ve been wanting to do. So you already take the necessary steps to prepare yourself for when you get the opportunity.”
The biggest question on offense this offseason will be what happens at the quarterback position after Mac Jones struggled and was benched over the final four games of the season.
The Patriots hold the No. 3 overall pick in the draft and will be in position to select a top college prospect if they choose.
Van Pelt said he met Jones and didn’t rule him out as returning as the starter.
“Really right now, everything is on the table,” Van Pelt said. “As we go through this process, we’re really these last couple weeks, 10 days, have been diving into and trying to evaluate our guys. … We’re trying to understand who we have here as well as looking at other players out there.”
Regarding what he envisions the offense to look like next season, Van Pelt said there could be some elements of the scheme he ran in Cleveland under Coach Kevin Stefanski.
“I wouldn’t say same. Similar. I would say there’s a lot of similarities. It’s the pieces of that puzzle,” Van Pelt said. “What’s available and how can we make those guys successful? There will be similarities. I’ve taken pieces of a lot of different offenses over my time and kind of melded those together for what was best for at that time.”
PACKERS: Jeff Hafley said he wasn’t necessarily looking to get out of college football before leaving his job as Boston College’s head coach to become Green Bay’s defensive coordinator.
Hafley, 44, said he simply received an opportunity that was too appealing to turn down. He cited the chance to work with Packers Coach Matt LaFleur, the talent of Green Bay’s roster and the history of the team.
“As a guy that grew up loving football, it’s the Green Bay Packers,” Hafley said. “This is like the mecca of the football world to me and probably to most people who grew up loving football. Just being here and driving into Lambeau (Field) every day, it still feels surreal.”
Hafley, who went 22-26 in four seasons at Boston College, is among a handful of people who voluntarily left head coaching jobs at Football Bowl Subdivision programs to become assistants elsewhere.
LIONS: Detroit re-signed kicker Michael Badgley to a one-year contract.
Badgley closed the regular season with the team and played in all three playoff games. He also kicked for the Lions in 2022.
Badgley made all four of his field-goal attempts in four games during the regular season and tied a playoff team record with a 54-yard field goal against the Los Angeles Rams, helping the Lions win their first playoff game in more than three decades.
Badgley has made 98 of 119 field goals with the Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Chicago and the Lions since making his NFL debut in 2018 with the Chargers.
CHIEFS: Kansas City signed a pair of players, including one who could project as an immediate starter.
Matt Araiza, a 23-year-old punter and 2022 sixth-round draft pick, agreed to terms.
Araiza, nicknamed “Punt God” at San Diego State, was released in August 2022 by Buffalo after being named in a civil lawsuit that claimed he took part in a gang rape.
More than a year later, the accuser withdrew the civil lawsuit against Araiza, according to Yahoo. In addition, the local police and prosecutor’s office declined to recommend charges, and a separate investigation from San Diego State also stated it had no findings against Araiza.
The Chiefs also announced they signed safety Tyree Gillespie. A 2021 fourth-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders and former University of Missouri player, Gillespie spent about a month on Kansas City’s practice squad in December.
BEARS: When Eric Washington made his leap into the NFL coaching ranks in 2008, leaving Northwestern for a job on Lovie Smith’s staff, he did so with eagerness and a push to continue learning.
Washington’s return to Chicago – his formal introduction as the defensive coordinator was Thursday – drops him into much different circumstances.
For starters, he is 16 years more experienced, and wiser for it, after a three-season run with the Bears plus subsequent stops with Carolina and Buffalo. Washington also now has a much more significant role as the coordinator for Coach Matt Eberflus’ defense.
Still, Washington reflects on his earliest days from 2008-10 with fondness plus an appreciation for the linemen he worked with. He name-dropped Julius Peppers, Alex Brown, Tommie Harris, Israel Idonije, Anthony Adams and Matt Toeaina, describing that bunch as a group of players with “a great blend of different skill sets but with similar mindsets.”
“They were a tough, aggressive bunch that loved the game,” Washington said. “They absolutely loved the game.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.