Broncos would be making big mistake poaching Patriots’ Jerod Mayo

The New England Patriots have pumped out a ton of assistant coaches that are trying to replicate that Bill Belichick touch, although the results have been mixed, at best. The next Belichick acolyte that teams have their mind set on is Jerod Mayo, a former Patriots linebacker and now linebackers coach.

The Denver Broncos have started the search for a new head coach, as Vic Fangio was shown the door after three consecutive losing seasons and constant quarterback turmoil. It doesn’t sound like John Elway is going to follow the league trend and hire a young offensive coach.

Mayo hinted that he is going to take an interview with Denver despite the fact he’s focused on getting ready for a playoff matchup against the Bills. The Broncos struck out when hiring Belichick’s offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels, so now they might try the other side of the ball.

This would be a disaster for both parties. Not only will New England lose one of the best assistants in the AFC, but Denver would be hiring yet another young coach that’s not ready for what could be an extremely challenging program to turn around.

The Broncos shouldn’t take Jerod Mayo away from the Patriots.

There are three main reasons that Denver should leave him alone. Most notably, Denver is scheduled to play Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Derek Carr twice next season. They also will lock horns with Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray and Matthew Stafford, as things stand.

They need an offensive coach that could help them keep pace in these shootouts rather than going down the same defensive path they blazed with Fangio.

Secondly, Mayo might be yet another Belichick defensive assistant that fizzles. Brian Flores looked like he was working in Miami, but he was fired after three seasons likely because how bad the offense was. Will Mayo, who is only 35 and has just three years of experience under his belt, be skilled enough to handle what will be a very challenging job?

Finally, Denver could be in for a lengthy rebuild, as neither Teddy Bridgewater nor Drew Lock is the quarterback of the future. Would they want to take a guy who comes from a winning culture with one losing season since 2001 and charge him with fixing what could be a lengthy rebuild?

Mayo’s time as a head coach will come, but teams like the Broncos and Bears might be putting the cart before the horse here. Both of those openings require experience, a knack for developing young quarterbacks, and the ability to relate to young locker rooms. Mayo has yet to establish he can check those boxes.

Will he eventually? We’d bet on it. Just not right now.

2 clear reasons Patriots should feel confident despite AFC East loss

So, the New England Patriots lost the AFC East, huh? No matter. They're road warriors, and they should still feel confident.