For the entirety of Jerod Mayo's NFL playing career, he was a New England Patriot.
Nothing's changing in his post-playing days, as the former linebacker announced via Instagram that he is joining the Patriots coaching staff. The team later confirmed the hire.
"It is with great excitement, passion, and sense of purpose to share with you that I have accepted Coach Belichick's offer to rejoin the New England Patriots as a coach," Mayo penned in the photo's caption. "I am eager to get started and work hard alongside so many of my former coaches and teammates, all who I know to be solely focused on maintaining the winning culture we have come to know as the Patriot Way."
Long regarded as a team leader and coach on the field, Mayo's transition to coaching appears to be a natural one. His career was spent learning under Belichick and he can lean back on the experience of an NFL career that saw 103 games and 808 tackles -- highlighted by an All-Pro campaign in 2010 in which he led the NFL with 175 tackles.
Mayo is likely to work under new defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, who replaces Brian Flores, the new head coach in Miami.
