Patriots Rumors: Bill Belichick on Hot Seat Since 2019; Jerod Mayo 'Next in Line'

Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots is arguably the best coach in the history of the NFL, but, at least according to one insider, he has been on the hot seat for some time and remains there heading into the 2023 season.

"He's on the hot seat," Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (start of the video). "And he's been there at different levels of warmth since 2019."

Curran suggested inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo would be "next in line" if the Patriots moved on from Belichick.

"If they look disorganized, dysfunctional and discipline's out the window, then they might say, 'That was a great run, but can you go upstairs and just watch Jerod coach next year?'" he said (4:08).

Mayo has been the inside linebackers coach in New England since 2019.

There is plenty to digest from Curran's report.

The 2019 timing is notable because that was the last season Tom Brady was in New England. The legendary quarterback's departure meant Belichick had to figure out how to win without him after Brady helped guide the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles.

Curran also suggested Belichick's pursuit of Don Shula's record for the most wins in NFL history is impacting the situation. Belichick has 298 wins, while Shula finished his career with 328.

"I wonder if Belichick had already passed Shula or wasn't even within hailing distance of Shula, if we would really have this kind of hand-wringing, 'What do we do about Bill conversation?'" Curran said.

Things have not gone particularly well for New England since Brady's departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won a seventh career Super Bowl.

The team is a combined 25-25 the past three years with one playoff appearance and zero playoff wins. That would be solid for some organizations, but the Patriots reached the postseason 17 times with Brady at the helm and lifted more Lombardi Trophies than any other franchise.

Quarterback Mac Jones is still a question mark at best, and the club could be facing a difficult 2023 just based on the rest of the competition in the AFC East alone. The Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are all playoff contenders and potential Super Bowl contenders depending on whether they live up to their respective ceilings.

Mayo is certainly familiar with the standards in New England considering he was a Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowler when he played linebacker for the team from 2008 through 2015.

Perhaps he will be the one to eventually restore the championship pursuits.

But it's not as if Belichick isn't aware of those standards. In fact, he was the architect of them as a six-time champion with a 262-108 record. He may be past his coaching prime at 71 years old, but it is still impossible to ignore his resume and overall importance to the Patriots organization.

Even if he may be on the hot seat.