Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo to interview for Eagles’ vacant head coaching position

While it seems increasingly likely that the New England Patriots’ most prominent assistant coach will stay put — long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — it appears as if another member of the team’s staff is generating some momentum on the coaching market: as first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Jerod Mayo is expected to interview for the Philadelphia Eagles’ vacant head coaching position.

Despite coming off only his second year as an NFL assistant coach, Mayo has already developed into a hot commodity. A former first-round linebacker who spent eight seasons with the Patriots and won a Super Bowl along the way, he has coached New England’s inside linebackers for the last two seasons — serving as the top defensive assistant alongside outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick.

“He’s a hell of a coach,” New England linebacker Dont’a Hightower said about Mayo in 2019. “Honestly, I wouldn’t expect anything less. He’s got so much knowledge and so much wisdom that he brings — not just as a football player. He’s definitely done it. He’s seen it. He’s played it. The reputation that he has, he’s an All-Pro, so it’s great to have a linebacker coach who has been through so much and can relate to a lot.”

While it remains to be seen how the Eagles evaluate him, the fact that they did invite him for an interview speaks for Mayo’s status among NFL coaching cycles: he is a young coach on the rise and a name to watch moving forward — both when it comes to his opportunities with the Patriots and elsewhere.