Details emerge on Jerod Mayo's increased role on Bill Belichick's coaching staff

BOSTON -- It was almost a month ago that the Patriots made the unprecedented move of announcing via press release that the team was working to secure Jerod Mayo to a contract that would keep him in New England for the foreseeable.

Since the team released that statement on Jan. 12, Mayo turned down his interview opportunities elsewhere and has remained with the Patriots' coaching staff. However, very little has been revealed about what his new, expanded role might be.

That changed somewhat on Thursday, when The Athletic's Chad Graff reported some details on what Mayo's new role might entail.

"New England has rewarded Mayo with a salary increase and a larger role. His official title is unclear, but it won't be a surprise if Mayo is named the assistant head coach. The plan is for him to be a sounding board for Belichick during every important aspect of the offseason, including deciding whom to hire on the staff and whom to pursue in free agency," Graff reported. "The Patriots' commitment to Mayo as other teams requested interviews with him shows how highly they think of the 36-year-old former linebacker."

The Boston Herald's Karen Guregian, though, reported that might not be the case.

"Regarding Jerod Mayo, I'm hearing from a source we should pump the brakes on him having a new title going forward," Guregian tweeted. "A pay raise for sure, and his overall role could change, but there might not be a different title."

While the Patriots have long been secretive about announcing specifics of coaching roles, that could actually change, based on the on-field results from the team over the past few years.

"The Patriots typically wait until the team media guide is due in July to release the official roles for their coaching staff — they are usually the last team in the NFL to reveal such information," Graff wrote. "But with a 25-25 record in their last 50 games, ownership believes fans deserve more transparency surrounding their team. That's partly why the franchise sent out its unprecedented (for them) press release two weeks ago, announcing they'd begun a search for an offensive coordinator while declaring that they were negotiating a long-term deal with Jerod Mayo."