Patriots name Jerod Mayo as next head coach, Bill Belichick’s successor

— Jerod Mayo spent his entire professional football career learning from Bill Belichick, first as a player and then as an assistant. The Patriots named Mayo to succeed Belichick as the franchise’s 15th head coach on Friday. Mayo, along with Belichick’s son and fellow linebackers coach Steve Belichick, handled the play calling duties for the Patriots defense over the past two seasons. “But when people get to be around him and talk to him, they’ll see the differences in him and Bill and how the organization will be going forward.” One thing Mayo isn’t expected to have is the same control over personnel matters like Belichick did for most of his tenure with the Patriots. But Kraft pointed out on Thursday that Belichick didn’t receive that power until after he won his third Super Bowl with the team following the 2004 season and that Belichick “earned it and it worked pretty well for most of the time.” That means a new general manager hire, or some other restructuring of the front office, is likely next on Kraft’s plate.