ORLANDO — Jerod Mayo met with the media for an information-packed 30 minutes this morning at the NFL annual meeting. Here are all of his comments on just about everything, including the draft quarterbacks, his burning cash comment, the slow offseason and this message to frustrated Patriots fans:
"For Patriot fans, look, I understand the frustration. I understand the expectation that has been really built over the last 20 years," Mayo said in his concluding remarks. "But at the same time, hopefully the fans understand that we're trying to build this the right way. And we're trying to bring in pieces that we think are for the long term. I think there's a combination between bringing people in for the short term, but also you have to think long term, that's always the hard thing to do.
"I would just ask Patriots fans for patience. Once again, there will be players that hit the wire, free agents, guys that are explosive, whatever you want to say, there will be guys in the draft, there will be guys after the draft. So just sit back and kind of, you know, let us do our job going forward."
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Well, good morning. Happy to be here. First time, it's a lot. It's a lot. But I'm excited for the opportunity to speak with you guys and hopefully, you guys come out of here with some clarity as far as our strategy is concerned. And as far as our team-building is concerned. Fire away.
Is there a clarity that you would begin with?
You know, the clarity I will begin with is free agency. Obviously, the media, the fans, everyone wants that big signing. But at the same time, as we continue to put this team together, I think there's there has to be a process, it has to be a methodical process. And when there is a guy that we want to get the Krafts have already told us, like they'll spend the money. And I will say offensively this year, we were very picky as far as the players that we were, as far as the players that we were getting. And at the same time, that wasn't really a deep offensive free agent class even make that type of splash. Now that I'm saying that that, you know, the draft is coming up, there will still be conversations as far as trades and things like that, and guys will be released. So this is a process that's gonna go on all the way until after the draft.
Is it frustrating at all to have the conversation? Well, we're gonna do a number of things to weaponize the office and then get to the store and say, well, the shelves aren't really stocked with the things you need.
Yeah, it is frustrating. But at the same time, I think one of the number one priorities we had was to sign our players back. And I think, you know, it's not a popular pick to sign an offensive lineman to a big deal, but at the same time, he's a critical piece to our team. Look, we want to take care of our own. I think that was really the strategy going into it. Now that we did have targets that we wanted, that it just didn't work out but when it's all said and done, we want guys that want to be a part of this process want to be a part of the next chapter in New England history.
Burn some cash comment.
That was a terrible... I don't regret it. Look, I'm a first-year head because I didn't mean like burn some cash. I know we have a lot of cash to utilize, but we are going to utilize it the right way. We have to be very convicted when we do spend that cash but ownership has done a good job just letting Eliot not know that we have the cash to spend, just try to spend it smart.
Do you consider your team a 4-win team?
You know, honestly, this team is going to look different than last year's team. Even if you were to look at last year, I would say there were opportunities to win more than four games and we just fell short. Look, we'll see after the team continues to come together, how many wins. I can't give you a prediction on how many wins we'll have but what I will say is that we'll put a competitive team out there on the field. And, look, not only on the field, but also off the field. And that's what we're trying to do here in New England.
Still some needs at tackle, quarterback and WR are you confident in filling those?
I'm confident that yeah, we get we can absolutely fill those roles. In saying that though, it's going to take time, it's going to take time. Look our philosophy as far as putting this this roster together ... Look, you want to draft and develop when it's all said and done. You want to draft and develop and I have 100% confidence and Eliot and his staff weaponizing the offense and really getting us better as an overall team. I know everyone wants to talk about the offense. But one thing that you guys have heard from BB and that I've learned from Bill was, you know, just that all three phases are very important and playing that complementary football is definitely something that Eliot understands I understand and the rest of the staff does.
How much pressure on this draft class, especially at QB, WR, and OT.
Those three positions that you just spoke of, I will say this draft has quite a few guys that can fill those roles. And we have we sit at a very enviable spot at number three where we can take someone at three or you know if someone offers a bag as we would say, a lot of first round picks, we definitely have to not talk about those things as we continue to put together this team. You said it, there are holes on this team but also but I would also say there will be people available going forward to fill those roles.
Just to confirm you guys are open to trading number three. Does Eliot not being here complicate that?
We're open to trading the pick, we're open to taking a guy there. The crazy thing is we have telephones at this point Eliot didn't come because he's doing a lot of work back home. And I don't say that to be disrespectful. But what I would say is, he's doing a lot, he's working, and his staff is working through the weekends. And honestly, I would rather be doing that than be sitting here right now.
Learn from Mac's tenure?
Mac Jones came in and had a lot of success early on. We always talk about that jump from year one to year two and how significant that year is, or that bridge is the year two. And I would say it was a combination of things, you know, that really kind of hindered that growth in the second year. One thing I did learn about that, that process was, as you continue to develop a quarterback, it's not only the players you put around them, but also the coaches that you put around this guy. Not only the coaches, but it can go all the way to the ops teams and things like that, to support a guy who plays the most important position in sports. And to ask him as a rookie to come is always going to be tough. And then you get to year two, and you want to see that jump, you get to year three, you wouldn't want to see success like this straight line. But realistically, that's not what it is. It's like a bunch of ups and downs. And I think just supporting a quarterback is one of the biggest things. And I would also say this, you got to bring a guy like Jacoby in ... he's definitely a starter in this league. And I would also say it's a good mentor to quarterbacks across the league.
Do you feel that the roster and the staff hasn't currently constructed is ready to support a rookie QB?
100%. I feel very good about the staff that we have. We have guys got TC and AVP and even McAdoo - all guys that bring a certain skill set to the quarterback position. Now the balance is, he needs to hear that one voice and what happens sometimes is younger quarterbacks, they have their quarterback guru, they have their coach, their quarterback coach, most offensive coordinators are quarterback coaches. So those guys have worked together in the past, and they're on the same page to support any quarterback that we bring in.
What do you like about Drake Maye in the time you spent with them?
Drake may had a fantastic interview at the combine, he brings a lot of energy, you can tell he has that leadership ability. And you know, also the exciting part about a guy like Drake Maye is the ceiling like there is really no ceiling with a guy like that. Now, in saying that when we're trying to put together this roster, I know a lot of people look at the ceiling. But you also got to kind of see how low was the floor? How low is the floor, and I would say a guy like Drake Maye, he has a lot of room to grow. He's a young guy. Honestly, he hasn't played football nearly as much as these other guys. So that's definitely something that we've looked at. But he definitely is going to develop.
You could move down and hit to other slots in the first round.
That's right, 100% I know everyone likes to think they have the special formula to picking players. But honestly, the guaranteed way to win is to accumulate more picks. And so if we don't feel convicted at number three, to your point, like we are willing to do that as well.
Jayden Daniels. Have you met with him? What was it like? What do you think so far?
I was on the zoom with him, I've met him before. Look, those guys have pro days coming up here soon. So when you think about the process, like when I leave here, I'm going to LSU and then when I leave LSU I'm going to Carolina before I get back home, but you have to do your due diligence. And once again, it's not all about me. It's not all about Eliot. What you guys have heard me say a lot. It's about collaboration. And one thing that Alonzo Highsmith one of our scouts told me and I truly believe it. He's been doing it for a long time. And he said all the bad picks that he's seen, it's really been where everyone wasn't on the same page and you would hope that you know, you could get everyone on the same page: coaches and also scouts. If you have one person drafting, that's kind of tough. D
Do view that as being a three man race quarterback or is JJ McCarthy part of that conversation.
Let me tell you when I first started watching these guys, it was that three-man race and now as you continue to go to these pro days and bringing guys in on the 30 visits and having time to spend with those guys, to really get to know what makes them tick, I mean it's about five guys honestly that could come in and be a solid quarterback in the future.
You're the head coach you're gonna have a say when you pick a the quarterback, what are you looking for in a quarterback when you go to these pro days, when you meet with them.
Yeah, that's a great question. Look, we have the quarterback guys that are going to be there to talk about mechanics and things like that. Like, that's not my expertise. One thing you want from a quarterback, my number one thing is a good decision-maker. Right? That's first and foremost. And I will say one of the things that often gets lost is just competitiveness and toughness. And so you see some of the top quarterbacks in the league, like those guys get smacked and get right back up, you know, their offensive line to help them up. I think that is very important when you're kind of scouting this position. The competitor, like Tom, the toughness, like you see guys like Joe Burrow, you gotta get smacked and gets right back up, it's pretty impressive. But it also sends that subliminal message to the rest of the team, like I'm here with you, like, I'm gonna get hit. I'm gonna get back up and we just got to continue to go as we go forward.
Jacoby Brissett
Jacoby, look, first of all, he's a known entity. He's a guy that's been here before. Secondly, I would say he's worked with a lot of guys on our staff currently. And so anytime you can get a player, anytime you can get a player that is also a coach is beneficial. And he's gonna help as far as the installs and things like that. He has the tools to build a quarterback. So look forward to working with him.
The fifth QB?
Look, there are guys, I don't want to sit here and give you names. I don't want to give you names, but they're about I'd say five or six guys that are just very impressive. They all bring a certain skill set to the table. All skill sets that you want to see out of a quarterback.
What surprised you personally about doing this job since whatever January
Honestly, the lack of just the X's and O's like the scheme stuff, you know, right now, you know, you put your coaching staff together, you get your scouting staff together, you, you figure out how things work behind the scenes. And it's been very interesting. But one of the things that really surprised me was just a lack of, you know, talk about scheme with the coaches. Once again, I have tremendous, tremendous confidence in our coordinators and the staff. And those guys have been doing that stuff. And I've been working more with Eliot and his staff to try to put this team together.
So is it just a matter of you haven't had the time to really get deep on it?
Yeah, as far as scheme. So you know, when we're watching film now, it's really a scout hat on. And so when you have that scout hat on, you're not really thinking alright, it's a 4-2-5 or any of that stuff, you know, as far as X's and O's, it's more about just the individual player.
Barmore and extension
One thing with Barmore, he's one of those players that he's developed here. You know, there were some questions coming out of college, obviously, you know, his potential, he's done a fantastic job really growing up. I think DeMarcus and Joe Kim have done a good job really helping develop him. And look, once again, it goes back to we want to keep our own. We want to keep our own players. And we have had talks with Barmore and hopefully that works out.
Matthew Judon, about extending or enticing his contract.
There's no question that we want a guy like Judon and look going back to keeping our own, when Judon was in Baltimore, he just happened to be just a great guy and a great fit, a culture add for us. And we want to keep Judon, we want to keep him but that's more of a question, you know, for Eliot. But those conversations have started, we know that he's still a premier rusher this league. But as we continue to go forward, we want him to be a piece of the puzzle.
More defensive head coaches this year, did you think this would not be the case?
I never really thought about that. One thing I will say about defensive coaches. Well, let me talk about the head coaching role in itself. A position coach is a lot different than a defensive coordinator, that role is different than a head coach. And one thing I would say is, I've been around a lot of good leaders in my life, obviously, Bill being one of those guys, defensive guy, special teams guy, you look at Mike Tomlin and you look at Raheem, you look at all these guys that are really just great leaders. And we can sit here and say, you know, do they want to call the plays, or are they not gonna call the plays? I think the more important thing is, how do we get everyone in the organization really going the right way. So I wanted to be here in New England, this is the place I've always wanted to be. I played here, my family's here. And I was just waiting for my opportunity. I didn't know when that opportunity would come, but it came and I'm excited to have it.
No Ridley ... how difficult to weaponize the offense?
One thing I would say as you go through the draft you want to get guys that are magnets. You know, I played with the ultimate magnet in Tom Brady, were guys wanted to play for Tom with Tom and with the team, right? And so it kind of gets skewed and kind of now it's the other end of the spectrum is like what really what pieces do we have to attract those outside guys. And once again, if we draft a guy, you're coming here. So that's that has to be our philosophy as we continue to put this thing together.
Did you find that was a struggle in free agency, when you look at the guys who targeted and didn't sign? Were there any commonalities about they didn't typically sign because of x? And was magnetism part of it?
I will say there were various reasons why guys didn't sign with us. Once again, the unknown is scary for a lot of people. And I would say even in our building right now, it's still unknown. Like, will I be a good head coach? I don't know, hopefully. I think I can be Will Eliot be a good GM or whatever he is in his role? I don't know. We'll see what happens with that. But look, it's gonna be a process. And once again, you guys even sitting around this table, there will be times that you had to ask me hard questions. Like right now we're 0-0 we're still in the honeymoon phase. You guys are throwing up these softballs. But I understand what I'm getting myself into, as we continue to go down this trail.
Do you feel like you have to rebuild the organization to the point that it will once again be a destination for free agents,
100 perc... the goal is always to have players want to come to your organization. And that is absolutely a process, we're thinking about those things. And once again, the Krafts have given us the ability to really, I don't want to say modernize, but to really do the things that we want to do going forward to bring people in, which I think is important.
Meet with current players?
Well, some of them walk through the building. And honestly, as the head coach, I'm always hesitant to even have any type of conversations like, Oh, we're in a tampering zone, I just need those rules right here. I'm not I'm not doing anything. But in passing, you know, just said hi.
What have you seen from Eliot?
I would say overall, his steadiness. Eliot has a great attitude and a great mentality when it comes to not only picking players but also the staff. He was very influential in even putting together the coaching staff as well. And I've been watching him from afar for a couple of years now and it's really, it's really gelled nicely. In saying that, I would also say his dad's a Hall of Fame scout so it's not, it's not all like just here in New England. I think he brings a fresh perspective, you know, as we continue to build.
Have you met his dad?
Not quite a few times, maybe once or twice. So last year, he came this was two years ago. And I think last year he came as well ... Right now, Mike, honestly, we want to have a not open door policy but at the same time, we're trying to ... we're in a room all day, just really going through players. I don't think that's something he would want to do right now. But going forward, going forward, that is someone that you would hope to bring in to help develop people. And so I think, you know, just continue to have that growth mindset going forward is is huge.
You guys obviously showed that you were willing to invest in wide receiver, could you still be active on the trade market, or is the draft likely?
Yeah, 100%. We're still open on the trade market. But I would also say this is a pretty deep class as far as receivers are concerned. So it's all it's all on the table right now and hopefully, as we continue to get closer to the draft, you know, Eliot's fielding calls, the scouts are fielding calls. But as we get closer to the draft, it starts to be a clearer picture. That's really the goal.
Do you think it's wise to take a quarterback in the top three, if you don't have necessarily the support system. Do you see the merit in perhaps maybe building around the position?
Absolutely. Once again, if we take a quarterback at three that means we are convicted that this player is really the future of this organization. And going back to your point that we kind of said earlier, there are multiple pieces on this team as a whole that we want to you know, we want to fill those holes and so if you can gather more picks that definitely helps you out, put more chips on the table - probably shouldn't have done a gambling reference right there. But the more picks that you really have, you know, the more likelihood you have to really hit him?
Could you bypass a draft QB this year for next year?
Yeah, those conversations are still ongoing. And when it's all said and done, it'll be between ownership, Eliot and myself. And we'll see where we get.
If you pass on a QB and he hits...
Hindsight is always gonna be 20/20 I wish I had that crystal ball. You never really know. You're gonna find gems throughout the draft. Okay, and once again, as we continue to go through the process and look at these players. Really, it's about trying to find those gems later in the draft. Now sitting at number three is very unique because whatever happens at one or two, like if you're convicted on, let's say, three of three or four quarterbacks, then I feel like we're in a good position.
One month away from the draft exactly today. What do you need to know specifically or learn over the next month about these guys to complete the scouting process?
You're exactly right. There is no new film. Sometimes when, you know, when people do all their, you know, reviews of players, I'm saying in the media, there's really no new information. But we continue to move guys all over the mock drafts and things like that. Now, from a coach's perspective, there is new information. We have spent hours and hours with these guys by the time to get to the draft. And so I don't want to say that the hays in the barn, I think we still have a lot of work to do on all the quarterbacks in the draft. And really, Eliot and his team will lead that effort
What is some of that work specifically?
Yeah, that work is just how does this guy learn, right? How does he deal with adversity and once again, you can go back to the film, and you can kind of gauge retention, like what is the remember about this game here? And as they continue to talk, and it continues to, you know, come together, that's always the information that is added to what's we're talking about.
Today at Left tackle?
Once again, you look at our you look at our roster. We brought in Chuks ... we'll see when we put the pads on, it's gonna be tough. We have options, you would hope that those young guys that we have on the team also kind of take that year one to year two jump. Look, Scottie Peters and his staff, they're charged with developing players. And look, our roster will change before we even get to the draft. So that's kind of a hard question to really answer.
Onwenu begin at right tackle?
Well, that's where he'll start but look, once again, you know, Big Mike can play multiple positions. He can play guard, he can play right tackle, he could play left tackle, but that's one of those things that we got to have those conversations going forward.
Marte Mapu?
Marte Mapu was always he's one of those guys that we talked about versatility. He's one of those guys that he can play big star, he can play safety. And he also can play linebacker. Now he'll start in the safety room, and we'll work our way down from that.
Washington at No. 2?
Yeah, honestly, we have no clue and I don't think anyone in here really knows exactly what Washington's gonna do. I think everyone knows what Chicago is gonna do at 1. But the rest of it honestly, is, it's just up in the air. And when you see these other teams making moves, you know, acquiring pieces to move, we'll sit here and say Washington today, that could be somebody else on draft day. So I don't want to speculate on that.
Troy Brown
Troy's still on the staff, he has a skills development role with our staff going forward. He'll work with the players, he'll work with the skill players and also work with the scheme and the offensive side of the ball. So he's still with us.
How aligned would you say you are with Eliot as far as how you view the top quarterbacks?
Yeah, I would say just as a whole, it's not just Eliot and myself once again, going back to collaboration. Look, we have great scouts across the board that everyone has their different opinions. So you want to start with hearing those opinions. But at some time, you have to kind of shrink the group and come to some common ground. So we're close.
What's ownership's role in picking a quarterback? You mentioned that they would have input Eliot, yourself.
Yeah, honestly, once again, just how you know just how, you know I hired Eliot or we hired Eliot, it's the same thing. They don't want to be involved in football decisions, but they have given us the tools to go out there and get the guys that we want. They've given us the backing, or the confidence to go out there and be aggressive if we are convicted on a player. But at the end of the day, like they don't want to be involved with football decisions.
So would they have a role in playing devil's advocate?
Honestly, I'm not sure it's my first draft as the head coach. Seriously, I'm really not sure. But one thing I will say is that the Kraft family, ownership, they have given us the ability to go out there and you know, offer big contracts to go out there and take a quarterback at three to go out there and move down, right. So all of those things are up in the air and once again, but it's their team but they have entrusted myself and Eliot to really kind of put this thing back together.
It was reported that you're going to start the offseason program on April 8, is that correct?
That's correct.
You could start April 1, why leave a week on the table starting a new program?
There's still gonna be time to put this team together. I think as the staff continues to gel, not only on the coaching side, but also on the scouting side, as the team continues to gel, I just want to make sure that we as coaches are all on the same page before we go to the players. We've been a part of situations where, you know, you bring these different coaches in, this guy has one philosophy, this guy has another philosophy. I just wanted to make sure that, you know, the coaches, the staff, were all on the same page going forward. And look once again, you don't win games in the spring, but you can lose them. And I don't want to fall into that trap. I want to make sure that we're all pulling in the same direction.
20 roster spots ... how many for draft picks, UDFAs?
You know, honestly, that's that's an Eliot question. I don't even want to go down that road. I'll leave it for the expert.
Kayshon Boutte's gambling issue
We're continuing to gather information on that. He's still on the team. He's still on the team. And, and hopefully, you know, we can continue to develop this player, but really develop him as a man as well going forward. I think it's important to remember like, some of these guys are very young, and they've made mistakes in the past. It's easy to just throw them away. But there are certain instances where you're like, alright, I can help this guy out. And I feel like we have a good player development group there that will definitely help us going forward.
Top 30 visits planned with Jayden, Drake and JJ?
I'm pretty sure all three of them will be in.
Anybody has called you're like, wow, can't believe that guy called.
You know, the crazy thing. Someone told me that Andy Reid wanted my phone number, and I was like, Oh, that's pretty cool. And then his wife caught me on the elevator. She's like, it's so hard to get in contact with you. But she has her rings on and stuff and I gotta get back to that point. So, you know, honestly, I respect the position of Head Coach. I respect the position of coaches, NFL college, high school. There are some good high school coaches that if they call, I'll be like, Wow, that's, that's pretty cool. And look, first and foremost. I'm a fan of football. I'm a fan of players. I'm a fan of coaches. I just love being around the game.
Any big changes you want?
I do believe in having captains patches. That's one thing. Another thing is just like we did the happy hour with the media with our local media members, I think it's important that you guys get an opportunity to see what we've changed inside the building going back to the investment that the Kraft family have given us to change things in the building. And look, I'll coordinate with Stacey but I do think it would be beneficial to have be able to walk through the building and see the changes that we've made.
weight room stuff ... NFLPA survey
The report card, I think it's very important and I think it just reminds staffs and owners of things that we need to improve on. Going forward, the Kraft family, once again, when you see a gradethat's not favorable, it does bring attention to it in saying that we put together a group that's really going to try to attack some of the problems or some of the things that we see that we've seen on the report card. But once again, it's going it's going to take time, it's going to take time to improve those things.
Anything specific on that that stands out to you is it too early, whether it's like the daycare stuff?
Those are definitely things that are on the table and I think, you know, the better we take care of families, the more likely it is for our players to go out there and play free. Same thing with the kids. So it's definitely important. But I also think when you look at the report card, you know, when those guys did the report card, it was pretty early in the season. And so, I mean, it's easy to overreact to some of those type of grades, depending on really how the seasons going. To me, the better way would be early in the season, middle of season, end of the season to really put those scores together. But in saying that, look, it does bring attention to things that we're trying to improve.
You mentioned knocking down silos in your press conference. It's been almost two and a half months now. Can you give us an example of doing that?
Really, that's that's for us internally. But I would like to believe when you guys do get a chance to talk to the scouts or talk to the coaches, they will really articulate the goal that I have going forward.
What would you say to Patriots fans, look at your wins, not bringing in a lot of game changers in the offseason despite having the cap space, and a lot of them are frustrated, some of them are angry. What would you say to those Patriots fans?
For Patriot fans, look, I understand the frustration. I understand the expectation that has been really built over the last 20 years. But at the same time, hopefully the fans understand that we're trying to build this the right way. And we're trying to bring in pieces that we think are for the long term. I think there's a combination between bringing people in for the short term, but also you have to think long term, that's always the hard thing to do. I would just ask Patriots fans for patience. Once again, there will be players that hit the wire, free agents, guys that are explosive, whatever you want to say, there will be guys in the draft, there will be guys after the draft. So just sit back and kind of, you know, let us do our job going forward.