“A bit hard to process!” – Jerod Mayo getting hired as Patriots’ new HC just hours after Bill Belichick’s exit sparks WILD reactions on social media

Fans have mixed reactions to Jerod Mayo being announced as the Patriots' HC as he replaces the outgoing Bill Belichick.

“A bit hard to process!” – Jerod Mayo getting hired as Patriots’ new HC just hours after Bill Belichick’s exit sparks WILD reactions on social media

Bill Belichick (L - via Bill Belichick) and Jerod Mayo (R - via Fox News)

Just hours after parting ways with Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have announced Jerod Mayo as their next head coach. The former linebackers coach will replace a six-time Super Bowl winner in Belichick, who ended his 24-year association with the Patriots on Thursday.

The Patriots finished the season with a dismal record of 4-13 as rumors of a potential breakup between the Patriots and Belichick started gaining momentum.

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New England wasted no time in promoting the 37-year-old Mayo to replace Belichick. He is now the youngest head coach in the league. The former Patriots LB was on Robert Kraft‘s shortlist since the beginning of the season and will now take charge of the franchise going forward. 

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Kraft referred to Mayo as “a strong candidate to be the heir apparent” during the offseason, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. 

There's no ceiling on (Mayo's) ability to be a head coach—and he'll be a head coach. I'm sure of that. I hope he's with us, so we'll see what happens.
The owner said at the time.

Between 2008 and 2015, Mayo was a member of the Patriots’ roster, where he recorded an NFL-high 175 tackles in 2010 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in both 2010 and 2012.

2008 saw him win the NFL‘s Defensive Rookie of the Year award as well. Four years later, New England hired Mayo as its inside linebacker coach.

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Fans have mixed reactions to the Patriots announcing Jerod Mayo as their head coach

The New England Patriots gave the team’s LB coach, Jerod Mayo, a promotion as they announced him as the team’s HC. He replaced Bill Belichick as the team’s head coach, who ended his 24-year association with the team on Thursday. 

The legendary head coach finished his tenure as a six-time Super Bowl champion and one of the greatest coaches of all time.

Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo (via Sports Illustrated)

Fans, though, had mixed reactions to Mayo’s hiring. Some Patriots fans are finding it hard to process the change. 

Even though I knew it was coming it's still a bit hard to process. The Jerod Mayo era has begun.
Dave Portnoy, founder of the Barstool Sports, wrote

A lot of Patriots fans thought they were getting former Tennessee Titans HC Mike Vrabel to replace Belichick. However, that did not happen. 

Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, here’s what fans have to say:

The Patriots will hope that Mayo continues the winning tradition of the organization and helps the team win more Super Bowls. It will be interesting to see where Belichick lands after a stellar 24-year career with the Patriots.

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