Jerod Mayo facts for kids
Mayo with the New England Patriots in 2009
|
|||||||||||||
| No. 51 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | February 23, 1986 Hampton, Virginia, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Kecoughtan (Hampton) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Tennessee (2004–2007) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||
| Regular season: | 4–13 (.235) | ||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
| Coaching stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Jerod Andrew Mayo Sr. (born February 23, 1986) is an American football coach and former player. He played as a linebacker for the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He also coached the Patriots as their head coach in 2024. Mayo played college football at the University of Tennessee. He was a top player there and was picked 10th in the 2008 NFL draft.
As a player, Mayo was named the best defensive rookie. He was also chosen for the All-Pro team in 2010 after leading the league in tackles. He was picked for the Pro Bowl two times. After retiring as a player, Mayo returned to the Patriots as an inside linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023. In 2024, he became the Patriots' head coach, but he was fired after just one season.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Jerod Mayo was born in Hampton, Virginia. He went to Kecoughtan High School in Hampton. There, he played football as a linebacker and a running back. He earned three varsity letters for his skills.
In his senior year, Mayo made 110 tackles and had two interceptions. He also ran for 1,245 yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a running back. As a junior, he had 68 tackles, four interceptions, and three sacks. He was recognized as a top player in his district and region.
Experts like Rivals.com thought Mayo was a four-star recruit. He was ranked among the best outside linebackers in the country. He chose to play for the University of Tennessee. Jerod's younger brother, Deron Mayo, also played football as a linebacker in the Canadian Football League.
College Football Career
Jerod Mayo played for the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 2004 to 2007. In 2004, he took a redshirt year, meaning he practiced but did not play in games.
In 2005, he played in six games as an outside linebacker. He made 13 tackles. In 2006, Mayo became a starter. He played in 11 games and finished with 83 tackles, including five sacks. Rivals.com named him to their All-American second-team.
For his junior season in 2007, Mayo moved to middle linebacker. He started all 14 games and was a co-captain for the defense. He made 140 tackles, which was the most by a Tennessee player since 1990. He also had 1.5 sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown. Mayo was chosen for the first-team All-Southeastern Conference.
Professional Playing Career
Joining the New England Patriots
Jerod Mayo was considered one of the best linebackers in the 2008 NFL draft. Experts thought he would be a great fit for a 3-4 defense team. The New England Patriots picked Mayo in the first round as the 10th overall player. He was the second linebacker chosen in that draft.
On July 24, 2008, Mayo signed a five-year contract with the Patriots. He was the only rookie on the Patriots team that year to start in Week 1. He played every defensive play in that game.
Rookie of the Year Season (2008)
Mayo was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month for October 2008. He led the Patriots with 24 tackles that month. In a game against the New York Jets, he made 20 tackles, which was a career high at the time.
At the end of the 2008 season, Mayo had 128 total tackles and a forced fumble. He was named the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. He received almost all the votes for the award.
Key Seasons with the Patriots
In 2009, Mayo got injured in the first game but returned later in the season. He finished with 103 tackles.
For the 2010 season, Mayo was named a defensive captain. He had several games with many tackles, including 16 against the Miami Dolphins and 18 against the Baltimore Ravens. He ended the season leading the league with 175 tackles. He was also chosen for the 2011 Pro Bowl and the 2010 All-Pro team. In December 2011, he signed a new five-year contract with the Patriots.
In 2011, Mayo missed three games due to injuries but still made over 100 tackles. He and the Patriots reached Super Bowl XLVI. In that game, Mayo had 11 tackles, but the Patriots lost to the New York Giants.
In 2012, Mayo was voted a defensive co-captain for the fourth year in a row. He was chosen for the 2013 Pro Bowl because of his great performance that season.
Injuries and Retirement
Mayo faced injuries in his later seasons. In 2013, he tore his pectoral muscle and was placed on injured reserve. In 2014, he tore his patellar tendon and was again placed on injured reserve. Even without Mayo, the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX that season.
In 2015, Mayo's playing time decreased. He was behind other talented linebackers on the team. In January 2016, he was placed on injured reserve again due to a shoulder injury.
On February 16, 2016, Jerod Mayo announced his retirement from football. He thanked the Patriots for his eight years with the team.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2008 | NE | 16 | 16 | 128 | 100 | 28 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2009 | NE | 13 | 12 | 103 | 70 | 33 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | NE | 16 | 16 | 174 | 113 | 61 | 2.0 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2011 | NE | 14 | 13 | 95 | 58 | 37 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2012 | NE | 16 | 16 | 147 | 88 | 59 | 3.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2013 | NE | 6 | 6 | 55 | 35 | 20 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 | NE | 6 | 6 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | NE | 16 | 8 | 47 | 35 | 12 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 103 | 93 | 802 | 536 | 266 | 11.0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | |
Postseason Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2009 | NE | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2010 | NE | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 2011 | NE | 3 | 3 | 28 | 13 | 15 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2012 | NE | 2 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2013 | NE | 0 | 0 | did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | NE | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2015 | NE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Career | 8 | 7 | 57 | 30 | 27 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Coaching Career
Starting as a Coach
On March 27, 2019, Jerod Mayo was hired by the Patriots as their inside linebackers coach. This was his first coaching job in the NFL.
Becoming Head Coach
On January 12, 2024, the Patriots announced Mayo as their 15th head coach. He became the first Black head coach in the team's history. He was also the youngest head coach in the NFL for a short time.
Mayo's Patriots team had a tough 2024 season. They finished with a record of 4 wins and 13 losses.
End of Coaching Role
On January 5, 2025, the Patriots announced that Mayo would not return as head coach for the 2025 season. This decision came after the team's struggles. Mayo had only five seasons of coaching experience before becoming head coach. The team's owner, Robert Kraft, said he put Mayo in a difficult situation. On January 12, 2025, the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach.
Head Coaching Record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| NE | 2024 | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 4th in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
Personal Life
Jerod Mayo is married to Chantel Mayo. They have three daughters and one son. The family lives in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Mayo is a Christian.
Mayo has four brothers and two sisters. Two of his brothers also played linebacker. His younger brother, Deron Mayo, played in the Canadian Football League. Deron is now the head strength and conditioning coach for the New England Patriots. Another brother, Derek Mayo, won a college football championship in 2008.
Jerod Mayo had a small role in the 2012 movie The Three Stooges. He appeared alongside former NFL player Troy Brown.
