NFL analyst raises concerns about Jerod Mayo's defense after Bill Belichick's "one of the best" in the league

A huge move was made in New England this off-season when the Patriots replaced longtime head coach Bill Belichick with linebackers coach and former linebacker Jerod Mayo. The Patriots finished last season with a 4-13 record, their worst under Belichick.

A mutual agreement between Belichick and the team saw Belichick exit as the team's head coach after the 2023 season. Mayo replacing Belichick comes with a lot of pressure. Belichick helped deliver six Super Bowl rings in the last 25 years in New England, with Mayo being a member of the team for one of them.

While recapping their defensive rates from last season, NFL analyst Mina Kimes thinks the defense has the pieces to be a good one. She is just skeptical about the defense with Belichick's absence.

Kimes said:

"The New England Patriots, last year, despite the fact that they had the most adjusted games lost to injury in the NFL, they lost their best pass rusher Matthew Judon, rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez looked fantastic despite the fact that they had the worst starting field position of a defense.

"Unsurprisingly, in the NFL, [they] still finished sixth overall in success rate, ninth in DVOA, one of the best run defenses in football, one would think that the past defense which was still good will be even better with those players back. But the biggest concern is of course, the loss of the greatest coach in NFL history."

Jerod Mayo has focused on retaining his core players this off-season

Rhamondre Stevenson during New England Patriots v New York Giants

In his first off-season as a head coach, Jerod Mayo laid major emphasis on retaining his players and extending others. This off-season, the Patriots re-signed six key players for a total of $209.5 million in contract value.

The Patriots re-signed running back Rhamondre Stevenson (four years, $36 million), safety Kyle Dugger (four years, $58 million), offensive tackle Mike Onwenu (three years, $57 million), tight end Hunter Henry (three years, $27 million), wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (three years, $19.5 million) and linebacker Anfernee Jennings (three years, $12 million).

The Patriots also traded quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars this off-season while drafting Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

All eyes are now on how Mayo and the Patriots will do in the new coach's first season replacing Bill Belichick.