New England Coach Jerod Mayo gave a glimpse of his plan to succeed Bill Belichick during an interview at the NFL Combine on Wednesday. Steven Senne/Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Though Jerod Mayo didn’t hold formal NFL Combine media availability, he did take some time to field questions from a number of local reporters on Wednesday morning.
The Patriots coach reiterated much of what de facto general manager Eliot Wolf laid out the day before, but there were some new pieces of information from Mayo, too. Here are seven takeaways from his seven-minute press conference:
1. Doesn’t want to use the tag
Though the Patriots could use the franchise tag to retain Kyle Dugger or Mike Onwenu – more on them in a moment – Mayo brought a former player’s perspective to Indianapolis. Though Mayo was never franchised while on the roster in New England, five of his teammates were – Matt Cassel (2009), Vince Wilfork (2010), Logan Mankins (2011), Wes Welker (2012), and Stephen Gostkowski (2015) – and they didn’t always appreciate being tagged.
While the tag is a tool the Patriots can resort to, it isn’t Plan A for them right now.
“That’s always an option,” Mayo said. “But at the same time, with guys like that, you want those guys to be happy. You want them to be here for the long term. So that’s the plan.”
2. Mayo clears the air
In outlining their vision for a new Patriots culture, Mayo and Wolf have made it a point to distance themselves from Bill Belichick’s old one.
On Tuesday, Wolf described “more of an open … type vibe in the building” and Mayo has prioritized personal relationships and positive reinforcement. It’s a clear contrast from life in Foxborough under Belichick, but Mayo said he doesn’t want their culture overhaul to be seen as a critique.
“Look, it’s going to be different,” Mayo said. “But at the same time, I would say Bill did a great job for a long period of time. I don’t want you guys to take this as, because we’re changing, that’s shots toward the previous regime. We will do it differently. It’ll feel different, but at the end of the day, we would like to replicate the success that the prior regime has had. I learned a lot from Bill and also his staff. But now, we’ll see what this chapter looks like in the franchise.”
3. Onwenu, Dugger real building blocks
While explaining that it’s difficult to “build a sustainable team” through free agency, Mayo emphasized the importance of keeping in-house players. Retaining Onwenu and Dugger is at the top of the list for both Wolf and Mayo in the next month.
“I love those guys,” Mayo said. “I love big Mike. I think he has the versatility to play guard or tackle. Look, one of those guys when he’s going, he’s dominant. With Dugger, I would say last year going into the season, there were some questions about can he communicate and all those things. He squashed all of that last year. He did a fantastic job in his new role without having Devin (McCourty) there.
“You definitely want those pieces to stay. You develop through the draft, so if those guys stay, obviously, they’ve been raised here and they can help push the culture forward.”
4. Mayo describes his ideal QB
With the Patriots picking third in April’s draft, all eyes are on the quarterbacks. Though he’s spent most of his time on the defensive side of the ball, Mayo laid out what he’s looking for in New England’s next signal caller.
“The thing about quarterbacks to me – look, everyone wants the big arm, the mobility, things like that but I think it’s important just to get a sense of what type of competitor they are, their toughness and things like that,” Mayo said. “Those are things you really want to look for. It’s hard. One thing I would say is the film. You get on the film and you kind of talk through things. You want to see how they respond to adversity. And honestly, you want to talk about some of the adversity they had off the field as well.”
5. Don’t read into Wolf’s defense comment
When Wolf was explaining the need to “weaponize” things on offense, he followed that sentiment up with a thought about the Patriots defense.
“In terms of physical skills, we need to weaponize the offense,” Wolf said. “We need to be faster and more explosive on defense. Height, weight, speed, playmaking ability – there will definitely be an emphasis on those things.”
While New England obviously needs an offensive overhaul, will they also be looking to do things differently on defense, where they finished No. 7 overall last season?
“Every year, you’re always looking for bigger, faster, stronger players. That’s a pretty general comment,” Mayo dismissed.
6. Still no update on J.C. Jackson
As free agency inches closer, the Patriots have yet to finalize a decision on potential salary cap casualty J.C. Jackson.
By releasing the cornerback, New England can clear $14.375 million of cap space without any ramifications for their books. After Belichick acquired Jackson in October, the veteran was benched for missing curfew and finished the season on the reserve/non-football illness list, with his agent citing a mental health issue.
“Those discussions are still going,” Mayo said. “I love J.C. – coached him, saw him develop into a man. We’ll see how that goes going forward. Heck of a football player. Two years removed from (a ruptured patellar tendon) injury. He’s probably going to move a lot better this year, so we’ll see.”
7. Goal: A good team
Like Wolf, Mayo took a realist’s approach to the 2024 season. With a roster littered with holes, the Patriots aren’t going to return to the Super Bowl overnight, but Mayo believes the Patriots can be competitive next fall.
“If you want to sustain success – I don’t want to call it a slow burn because we will be competitive,” Mayo said. “We will put a good team out there. Will we win a championship? I don’t know, and I don’t want to make those promises. But at the same time, I feel confident about our plan to really turn this ship around. Look, honestly, the way I think about this stuff, it’s been done a certain way at a high level for what? Twenty years. But I would also say there’s one way to skin a cat. It worked for Coach (Belichick). We’ll see what works for Eliot and myself.”
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