The Patriots choosing Jerod Mayo to replace Bill Belichick didn’t surprise Cam Newton in the slightest.
New England went all-in on Mayo as it made a change at head coach for the first time in decades. Robert Kraft and company didn’t conduct any sort of search for Belichick’s successor and instead capitalized on a succession plan in Mayo’s contract to give the 37-year-old a promotion.
Mayo effectively was viewed as a head coach in the making ever since he joined Belichick’s staff in 2019. And a year later, when Cam Newton arrived in New England, the veteran quarterback could tell Mayo was next up.
“Jerod Mayo is solidified and has all right to be the next person in charge,” Newton said on his “4th & 1” show, as transcribed by Boston.com. “Hell, when I was there, I knew he was going to be next.”
Newton added: “He was running a lot of meetings and he had a lot of that type of leadership tone. It was almost like he was the next up. There were whispers, but we’re talking two, three years ago.”
The 2015 NFL MVP’s anecdote aligns with a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who claimed Mayo first became aware of his prospects to replace Belichick two years ago. And as Kraft revealed at Mayo’s introductory press conference, he became confident in the ex-linebacker’s head coaching capabilities all the way back in 2019.
Now, it’s on Mayo to prove Patriots brass right.
