National Football League

Julian Edelman: Why Bill Belichick to Eagles makes sense, Jerod Mayo an 'instant leader'

Updated Jan. 18, 2024 10:06 a.m. ET

Former New England Patriots wide receiver and current FOX Sports NFL analyst Julian Edelman stopped by "The Herd" on Wednesday as his old team formally introduced one of his longtime teammates, Jerod Mayo, as Bill Belichick's successor at head coach.

And Edelman also had a curious potential destination when speculating where Belichick, someone he knows better than most, might go next — the Philadelphia Eagles, if they do in fact fire head coach Nick Sirianni after a late-season collapse ended in a wild-card round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Edelman listed three reasons why.

"One, they got some players," Edelman said. "They players they need are on defense. That's Bill's forte. Two, location. It's an East Coast team. He's got family in New England, he's got a life in New England. He's got grandkids there. That's a close trip. It's hard to see him going to L.A., for instance.

"And three, the respect he has for Howie Roseman."

According to Edelman, Belichick holds those who have beaten him repeatedly in high regard, and Roseman, the longtime Eagles general manager who assembled the roster that beat Belichick and Edelman's Patriots in the Super Bowl in Feb. 2018, fits that description.

"Bill has a respect for people that do their job well," Edelman said. "There's a big mis-narrative out there that Bill doesn't like to collaborate. I'll tell you one thing, Bill loves anyone that can give him information, a scheme, an idea — and he'll use it. But if you mess it up and it doesn't work that one time, you're done. So that's kind of how Bill is.

"But with a guy like Roseman, he's got a resume. And Bill can work with that. I don't think Bill wants to go in and be the GM, but he's going to want. … someone that he respects [in that role]. I think that would be a great fit for him.

Where is the best landing spot for Bill Belichick?

Only one team has publicly revealed they've interviewed Belichick thus far: the Atlanta Falcons. But Edelman had doubts Belichick would prefer that spot as a destination.

Edelman also played with Mayo for several years in New England and recalled when he met the then-second-year-linebacker upon arriving to the Patriots as a rookie in 2009. According to Edelman, Mayo and, before him, Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel — who just left the Tennessee Titans after a decently successful tenure as head coach there — were considered a special tier of "genius" among Patriots defensive players.

"Jerod was an instant, from the day I met him, a leader," Edelman said. "Smartest guy on the defensive side of the ball. … X's and O's, the guy knew everything. He was always in the film room. When I had to go play defense in 2011, I would know my assignment, but before every single play, Jerod would be talking to the defensive linemen, looking back at the secondary, getting the right play in for the defensive call. … I just needed his justification because if Jerod said it, you knew it was right."

What are the expectations for Jerod Mayo as Patriots head coach?

Mayo is the first new head coach hire of the 2024 NFL cycle after spending the previous five seasons as the Patriots linebackers coach under Belichick. The Patriots were able to hire him on an expedited process after putting an NFL-approved clause in his contract last offseason that made him Belichick's successor if and when the six-time Super Bowl champion departed New England.

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