Former Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, who spent several years in the business world between the end of his playing career and the start of his coaching career, has officially left football for a second time.
Via Chris Mason of MassLive.com, Mayo took a job in February 2026 as a managing director at Fifth Down Capital, a private equity and business capital firm.
Mayo posted the information on his LinkedIn profile.
A first-round pick of the Patriots in 2008, Mayo played in New England for eight years. He then spent three years as V.P. of business development at Optum, a healthcare services company and a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group.
He returned to the Patriots in 2019, as inside linebackers coach. He signed an extension in early 2023, which included an agreement to eventually succeed Bill Belichick as the head coach.
That happened after the 2023 season; Belichick was fired and Mayo was promoted into the head-coaching role. The Patriots decided after Mayo’s first season on the job (during which the Patriots went 4-13) to part ways with Mayo.
Mayo, 40, could still return to coaching, in theory. For now (and possibly for good), Mayo will be moving on from the game.
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