Patriots coaching, GM interest tracker: Jerod Mayo, Josh McDaniels among candidates for open NFL jobs

The New England Patriots season came to a close during Super Wild Card Weekend and now the focus shifts from winning games towards building yet another playoff contender throughout the offseason. While Bill Belichick looks to retool his roster, he may also need to look to fill various positions on his coaching staff and front offense. A number of Patriots personnel members have been identified as hot names to monitor during this hiring cycle, ranging from head coaching and GM positions. 

Below, we’ll look to keep a running tracker of where notable names — like linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and director of player personnel Dave Ziegler — are garnering interest across the league. 

Raiders request two members of the Patriots

Jan. 17 — Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that the Las Vegas Raiders have put in a request to interview Jerod Mayo for their head coach opening. On top of that, Vegas has also requested to interview director of player personnel Dave Ziegler for their GM opening after firing Mike Mayock. Ziegler just finished his ninth season with the Patriots organization and first as the director of player personnel.  

Mayo is a top candidate for the Texans job

Jan 13 — In the aftermath of the Houston Texans firing coach David Culley, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Jerod Mayo is expected to emerge as a leading candidate for the job. There is a natural connection between the Texans front office and the Patriots as Nick Caserio and Jack Easterby are atop the masthead in Houston and spent several years in New England. 

McDaniels has interest around the NFL

Jan. 13 — According to Aaron Wilson of SportsTalk 790, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is not expected to pursue head coaching opportunities during New England’s playoff run. That said, McDaniels has had significant interest around the league with Wilson naming the likes of the Bears, Vikings, and Giants as possible suitors. 

Bears interested in Eliot Wolf

Jan. 12 — The Chicago Bears have requested permission to interview Patriots senior consultant Eliot Wolf for their opening GM position after firing Ryan Pace a few weeks ago, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Wolf just finished his second season with the Patriots and has primarily helped in the scouting department, which enjoyed great success last offseason. In 2021, New England had a fantastic draft, bringing in the likes of Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, and Rhamondre Stevenson. That success rate is seemingly catching the eye of the rest of the league. Before joining the Patriots, Wolf was the Browns assistant GM and worked in the Packers from offense from 2004-2017 prior to that job in Cleveland. 

Broncos request permission to interview Mayo

Jan. 10 — ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Denver Broncos have requested permission to interview Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo for their opening head coaching position. The Broncos did fire former head coach Vic Fangio following the regular season and would be an interesting landing spot for Mayo, who is seeing his stock grow after an impressive interview with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason. The issue with the Broncos opening, of course, is the questions surrounding the quarterback position.