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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Mayo and Mac: On Wednesday, after Jerod Mayo was introduced as the 15th head coach in Patriots history, he walked into the weight room and saw a familiar face.
“Mac Jones was in there working out,” Mayo told ESPN. “That attitude, that mentality of changing the page, is something that I hold high.”
The page is turning in New England in dramatic fashion, with Mayo quickly tapped as Bill Belichick’s successor after 24 seasons. That has initially sparked more questions than answers, including this one: Could Jones’ once-promising career be revived, perhaps similar to what unfolded with the Miami Dolphins two years ago with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa when Mike McDaniel was hired to replace Brian Flores?
Jones was one of five active players who attended Mayo’s introduction Wednesday, joining linebackers Ja’Whaun Bentley and Josh Uche, cornerback Jonathan Jones and long-snapper Joe Cardona.
Mac Jones among the players present for Jerod Mayo’s introduction, along with snapper Joe Cardona and pass rusher Josh Uche. pic.twitter.com/h8v8Xhvijf
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 17, 2024
Mayo is leaving all possibilities open, saying he is in the evaluation stage at every position, including coaches. Mentioning Jones and Bailey Zappe, who replaced Jones as the starter in mid-December, he said: “Those guys have things that they can do and it’s about improving and developing.”
Jones’ development went sideways after a 2021 rookie season that landed him in the Pro Bowl as an alternate selection (352-of-521 for 3,801 yards, 22 TDs, 13 INTs).
How much of that downfall was a result of his own doing or driven by Belichick’s decision-making with coaching, personnel and system changes over the past two years, might depend on whom you ask.
Belichick was clearly done with Jones based on his bottom-line actions in the Jan. 7 regular-season finale, when he demoted Jones to the emergency/third quarterback role behind Nathan Rourke, who had just joined the team 20 days prior.
Some wondered if it was a way to protect Jones’ health for future trade possibilities, but several players didn’t buy that explanation because it ran counter to what Belichick always told them about how every decision is to help the team win.
Those players hypothesized that Belichick was making a statement that game-day roster spots are earned and Jones’ scout-team work, which at one point included too many interceptions, didn’t meet his standard.
It was an icy ending to the Belichick-Jones pairing, with some, such as former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, having previously drawn a parallel to what unfolded with Flores (who came up as an assistant under Belichick) and Tagovailoa in Miami.
Fitzpatrick opined on Amazon Prime’s pregame show leading into the Dec. 7 Patriots-Steelers game that Jones was “definitely broken” as a quarterback from Belichick’s coaching. He compared it to how his former Miami teammate Tagovailoa was “broken by the way [Flores] treated him and coached him” before McDaniel “came in and restored his confidence.”
Whether that same dynamic could unfold in New England — with Mayo and a new offensive coordinator after Bill O’Brien departed for Ohio State — is among the lingering questions in a week of seismic change for the organization.
Mayo, who turns 38 on Feb. 23, highlighted the importance of personal connection to his coaching style.
“You have to develop the person before they’ll go out there and run through a brick wall for you. Players have to know that I care about you as a man, first and foremost,” he said.
“We check in all the time. Mental health is a real thing. If a guy comes in and obviously has something off the field, we try to lay off a little bit. I think having that flexibility, knowing what your group is going through, how they feel that day and really adjusting your coaching style based on that, I want coaches who kind of subscribe to that philosophy.”
2. Draft intel: Patriots owner Robert Kraft noted Wednesday that owning the No. 3 overall draft pick represents the highest selection in his 31-year ownership tenure, which highlights the importance of this year’s draft.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., as part of the “First Draft” podcast with Field Yates, shared his belief that New England is well-positioned regardless of what happens with the Chicago Bears (No. 1) and Washington Commanders (No. 2), mainly because there isn’t a big drop-off from his second quarterback (North Carolina’s Drake Maye) to his third (LSU’s Jayden Daniels), with USC’s Caleb Williams expected to go No. 1.
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And if the Patriots aren’t thinking quarterback, he has a “nifty nine” group of offensive players at the top of the draft — including Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. — who qualify as difference-makers. And that’s the side of the ball the Patriots need the most help.
3. Intrigue with OC: How Mayo fills out his offensive coaching staff remains a big question. O’Brien’s departure was expected and essentially wipes the slate clean, so there is intrigue in what direction Mayo wants to take the offense. Wide receivers coach Troy Brown, whose contract is set to expire and has been tapped to serve as offensive coordinator for the Senior Bowl, could be one of the few holdovers, given his history with the franchise (similar to assistant coach/Patriots Hall of Famer Dante Scarnecchia in the past).
4. Coach interviews: Mayo’s initial assistant coaching interviews have been more on defense and special teams. As of Friday night, sources confirmed he had video-conferenced with Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker, Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges, Panthers outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams and former Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, and there are plans to interview Rams assistant special teams coach Jeremy Springer and Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington (likely in person).
Some close to the situation say Covington, who attended Mayo’s introduction as coach Wednesday, is well-positioned to elevate to a defensive coordinator role. The interview with Hodges, who was co-defensive coordinator with Covington at Eastern Illinois in 2016, could be a tipoff that it might be headed in that direction.
5. Patriots-Falcons in 2025: Belichick had his second interview with the Atlanta Falcons Friday. If they hire him as head coach, it sets up a Gillette Stadium homecoming in 2025 as Atlanta is on New England’s home schedule that year. It would be right in the NFL’s wheelhouse to project when Belichick might break Don Shula’s all-time wins record and schedule the game so Belichick would have a chance to do so at Gillette.
6. Belichick sons: Steve Belichick and Brian Belichick, Bill’s sons, have been told they’ve earned the opportunity to remain with the Patriots if they choose to do so. Mayo and Steve have a close friendship, so the projected fit on staff would be as an assistant head coach/senior adviser type. Brian, who came up through scouting and most recently served as safeties coach from 2020 to 2023, was still showing up at Gillette Stadium late this past week.