Cam Newton said he heard ‘whispers’ about Patriots plan for Jerod Mayo years ago
"Hell, when I was there, I knew he was going to be next."
It’s been several years since Cam Newton last played for the Patriots, in 2020.
But even back then, he saw some traits in Jerod Mayo that made him feel like the former linebacker would succeed Bill Belichick as Patriots head coach.
“Jerod Mayo is solidified and has all right to be the next person in charge,” Newton said during an episode of his YouTube show 4th & 1. “Hell, when I was there, I knew he was going to be next.”
The Patriots named Mayo head coach earlier this month after parting ways with Belichick.
He’s the 15th head coach in franchise history and Robert Kraft’s third hire at the position. Bill Parcells was the coach at the time Kraft bought the team in 1994. When Parcells left, Kraft hired Pete Caroll. After Kraft fired Carroll, he hired Belichick.
Mayo was on the staff coaching linebackers when Newton was with the Patriots in 2020. New England went 12-4 and lost in the divisional round the year before Newton got there.
There was talk of Mayo potentially becoming head coach after Belichick years ago, well before this year’s 4-13 performance proved to be the final act of the legendary coach’s Patriots career, Newton said.
“Just his presence alone,” Newton said of Mayo. “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 2-3 years ago.”
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots wrote a succession plan into Mayo’s contract which they communicated with the league in advance. This allowed them to hire Mayo without interviewing candidates this year.
“No need to go through the lengthy hiring process — they established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract & communicated it to the NFL,” Rapoport wrote.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com