After the retirement of New England Patriots team leader and linebacker Jerod Mayo, the immediate question is what Mayo plans to do with his future.
The 8th-year linebacker has finished his season on the injured reserve in each of the past three seasons and sometimes the laborious nature of recovery outweighs the desire to return to the field. It's understandable. But in each of those seasons, he's been lauded for his performance as a coach on the sideline and in the meeting rooms.
"The guys always know I'm there to watch film, I'm there to help break it down, we meet once a week in the linebacker room, so it's been good," Mayo told the Pulpit prior to the 2014 Super Bowl. "Especially because I've been on the sidelines, I can see a lot of different things that they can't see while they're out playing because so many things are going through their mind. It's been very good for both them and me."
Coincidentally, the Patriots have an opening at linebackers coach as Patrick Graham has departed for the Giants. According to the NFL Network's Albert Breer, don't expect Mayo to fill the role.
As of now, I'm told Patriots LB Jerod Mayo doesn't plan to coach, though he's certainly capable. Has business interests he'll dive into.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 17, 2016
Mayo doesn't plan to coach, but let's not fully count it out down the road.
Perhaps Mayo could follow in the footsteps of former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, who retired from the NFL in 2010 and immediately took up coaching at the college level from 2011-2013, before signing with the Houston Texans as the linebacker coach.
Maybe the Patriots and Mayo will reconnect a couple years down the line.