New England Patriots
Jerod Mayo Wants Competition as Patriots Camp Gets Underway
Jerod Mayo is no stranger to New England Patriots training camp. He played eight seasons with the Patriots and has been an assistant coach for the past five. But 2024 marks the first year of Mayo being the head coach heading into training camp. It is a new perspective for the 38-year-old to be a virtual rookie once again.
But when Mayo met with the media on Monday he seemed quite confident about what he wanted to see in training camp this year: competition. Whether picking a starting offensive line or giving playing time to rookies, competition was the word Mayo stressed he was looking forward to seeing.
“It’s about competition,” stressed Mayo. “That’s the word of the day. That’s the word of camp. It’s about competition, no matter who you are.”
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The head coach touched on several topics of interest to Patriots Nation as training camp gets underway. He shared some thoughts on some, while opting against giving too much information on others. A look at some of the issues addressed by Mayo:
Starting Quarterback Situation
At least to start off training camp, there is no mystery who is the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt Jacoby (Brissett) is the starting quarterback at this point in time,” said Mayo. He later added, “When we get on the field this summer, with pads on, we’ll see how it all plays out,” leaving the door open to change his depth chart.
But Brissett must feel confident with his standing based on his coach’s comments.
“I think it’s clear that Jacoby (Brissett) is the most pro-ready guy we have,” Jerod Mayo opined. “He’s played a lot of football.”
There were rumors of the Patriots only bringing three quarterbacks to training camp. This rumor did not make much sense from this perspective, as previously discussed on PFN. New England brought four quarterbacks to camp, though Mayo sounded non-committal on that remaining the case moving forward.
Where Does That Leave Drake Maye?
The player most eyes will be on in training camp is first-round pick Drake Maye. But if Jacoby Brissett is New England’s starting quarterback, where does that leave the Patriots rookie QB? Will Maye be given an opportunity to move past Brissett on the depth chart in camp?
“If he comes out here and he lights it up, once again, it goes back to the quality of reps, it could absolutely happen,” Jerod Mayo stated. “Coming out of the spring, Jacoby (Brissett) looks like the starting quarterback. Now with that being said, he’ll have competition. Let’s not forget about even Joe Milton; let’s not forget about (Bailey) Zappe. All those guys will have opportunities to go out there and be the starting quarterback in Week 1.”
Jerod Mayo cited the Green Bay Packers situations (Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love) as examples of quarterbacks benefitting from sitting for a while. He noted however, there are also examples of players coming in and “balling” right away. He left the impression he was open to letting the quarterbacks determine which path the Patriots would take.
And despite having a highly-touted prospect on his roster, Jerod Mayo’s goals for Drake Maye sounded the same as every other player in camp.
“The goal for Drake (Maye) is just to get better each and every day,” explained the head coach.
Offensive Line Issues
The offensive line was a cause for concern in 2023 for the Patriots. Re-signing Mike Onwenu was a start to strengthening the unit, with Onwenu expected to hold down the right tackle spot. But in minicamp and the start of training camp, Onwenu was seen at right guard. So where will Onwenu ultimately play in 2024?
“I’ve had this conversation with AVP (Alex Van Pelt]),” said Mayo. “I’ve also talked to Mike (Onwenu) and the rest of those offensive linemen. Look, we’re going to put the best five players out there on the field as an offensive line. If that means you’ve got to play guard or play tackle, I don’t know. We’ll see, it’ll play itself out in camp. That’s my mindset, it’s about putting the best players on the field.”
Mayo was also asked if Chukwuma Okorafor is slated to start at left tackle for the Patriots. While he indicated that was the current plan, it certainly sounded subject to change.
“I would say right now, based on the time he’s been in the league alone, he’s going to start there,” confirmed Mayo. “But again, my mentality and our offensive mentality is to put the five best guys out on the field. We’ll see how it plays out.”
Unhappy Campers
Jerod Mayo answered questions about the contract situations of Davon Godchaux and Matthew Judon, who have expressed unhappiness with their contract situations. He said all the right things without saying much at all.
“The relationship is still good, at least from my perspective,” said Mayo. “I know that their teammates definitely respect them. Those are valuable pieces of this organization and they’ve done a lot for us. Hopefully, we can get something done and those guys are here. I want them here, Eliot (Wolf) wants them here. The team wants them here. There is a business aspect to everything though.”
The players expressed a desire to remain New England Patriots. Jerod Mayo states that he and Eliot Wolf would like the players to remain with the team. So the question is how much the team wants to retain their services beyond 2024. This is a financial issue nobody will know the answer to until a deal gets done. But Mayo expects Godchaux and Judon to be full participants in training camp regardless of their contract concerns.
“It’s always the expectation if you’re here, you’re going to go out there and practice and you’re going to compete. That’s what it’s all about.”
But Mayo remains optimistic deals can get done.
“I will reiterate that we want those guys here. We’re going to do everything possible to keep those guys. I think it’s good for the organization and hopefully, it works out.”
Adding Another Offensive Weapon (i.e. Brandon Aiyuk)
Jerod Mayo is not allowed to comment on players under contract with another NFL team. That didn’t prevent him from being asked about the New England Patriots potentially trading for Brandon Aiyuk, even though the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver was not mentioned by name.
“We’re always interested in getting the best players on our team, whatever that looks like,” said Mayo. “We’re third on the waiver wire. There will be some quality players that get released for various reasons and we’ll get an opportunity to continue to improve our roster. If you’re going to sit there and ask me would we take a good player, no matter what position, absolutely; absolutely if it helps us get better. Not only today but also in the future.”
Not sure fans are going to be as excited about a waiver claim as trading for an All-Pro player, but Mayo didn’t have many other ways to answer the question. The New England Patriots will always be looking for ways to improve.
Message to the Team
When asked about his message to the New England Patriots, Mayo went back to his word of camp: competition.
“The overarching message, I would say it’s about competition. It’s about competition and it’s also about building camaraderie and knowing what to do,” said Mayo. “I’ve learned a lot of principles here from Bill (Belichick) and being smart, tough and dependable is definitely something that I definitely think makes a good team. That’s still part of my message to the rest of the guys. But when it’s all said and done, it’s about competition and going out there and beating the men across from you.”
Message to the Fans
Mayo was also asked what his message for the New England Patriots fans would be. As somebody who has been around the franchise for many years, Mayo knows what fans want.
“My message to the fans is it’s all about winning football games. That’s what it comes down to,” emphasized Mayo. “It comes down to winning football games, no matter what the expectation is from everyone outside this building. We’re going to go to work each and every day, and we’re going to get better. We’re going to put a good product, a good team out there on the field that you’ll be proud of.
“Now, whether that’s tomorrow or next year, I don’t know. But I will say that this team, I like the way they’re coming together.”
What Would Constitute a Successful 2024 Season in New England?
Jerod Mayo’s only prediction for the 2024 on the record was that they would win more than four games (the 2023 total). So what would a success season look like for the New England Patriots?
“A successful season, in my eyes, is really about the foundation,” said Mayo. “Have we put together a good foundation of a combination of young and older players to really start competing? It would be great to get up here and say we’re going to win a Super Bowl, but once again, it’s about the process. I tell the guys all the time, it’s about process and progress and moving forward.”
So what would setting the foundation look like to the new head coach?
“It looks like a winning football team. It looks like a tough, smart, dependable football team.”
If Jerod Mayo can help make that happen for the New England Patriots, there will be a lot of competition to be first in line to pat the “rookie” on his back for a job well done.
