Rob Gronkowski compares Patriots' new HC to Tom Brady: "Jerod Mayo was the Tom Brady on the defensive side"

Head coach Jerod Mayo is set to welcome a new era for the New England Patriots ahead of this NFL season. He will replace coach Bill Belichick, who parted ways with the franchise during the offseason.

Much speculation has been made about how Mayo will translate into his new position, especially considering his lack of NFL coaching experience. His former teammate Rob Gronkowski thinks he is a good fit for the job, based on his strengths as a player before becoming a coach.

Gronkowski discussed the situation on the Games with Names podcast in a conversation with Julian Edelman, another former teammate. The legendary tight end even gave Mayo the highest of praise, comparing him to Tom Brady.

"Jerod Mayo was just a phenomenon on the football field with lining everyone up, and also in the meeting rooms as well," Gronkowski explained. "He knew where every player needed to be during any situation that occurred on the defensie side of the ball."

"He knew how to read offenses, he knew when to call out plays, and he was always correct when he'd call a play out, or else he was just making the whole defense aware of when that play was going to be called."

"He was just always alert, and you could always tell that was going to translate into the next phase of his life. Jerod Mayo was the Tom Brady on the defensive side of the ball." (TS - 1:04)

Gronkowski outlined how Mayo served as the "quarterback" of the New England Patriots defense during his time with the team. Mayo's role earned him a first-team All-Pro selection and a Super Bowl ring, but Gronk believes that his contributions went much deeper than that. His schematic understanding of the game should make him a good head coach, despite his limited coaching experience.

Jerod Mayo coaching history before becoming Patriots HC

Jerod Mayo

Jerod Mayo spent all eight years of his NFL career as a player with the New England Patriots as a linebacker. He retired following the 2015 NFL season before being hired as a coach in 2019. He fittingly started as an inside linebackers coach, which was his primary position.

Mayo spent four years in that role before being promoted to the general linebackers coach in 2023. He never served as a head coach at any level, or even as a defensive coordinator. He is taking a major leap forward in 2024 to become the next Patriots head coach.