Sunday Patriots Notes: Jerod Mayo ready to put new spin on the ‘Patriot Way’

Notes and thoughts on the Patriots and the rest of the NFL.

With the NFL Combine in the rearview mirror, the New England Patriots turn their attention to the free agent market — where the legal tampering period kicks off on Monday.

Make sure to check out our Sunday Patriots Notes to stay up to date with all things not covered elsewhere on Pats Pulpit.

1. The “Patriot Way” reimagined: Throughout his two-plus decades in the Patriots organization, Bill Belichick was a key pillar in installing the “Patriot Way” culture — which was predicated on putting the team’s goals in front of any personal goals.

New Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has plenty of experience inside that culture, as he played the entirety of his NFL career in New England before becoming a coach on Belichick’s staff. That should allow him to maintain the key principles of the “Patriot Way” moving forward.

“I don’t think the ‘Patriot Way’ changes, philosophically, maybe the way it’s applied and executed changes,” former long time captain Matthew Slater said during a recent appearance on the Green Light podcast. “All those things in terms of like doing your job, working hard, putting the team first — I think those are principles that you can apply in almost any arena.

“And certainly it would be smart of Jerod to continue to try to work towards those principles.”

Mayo, however, has made it clear in his first few weeks in charge that things will be different than how Belichick ran things. That could include his own version of the “Patriot Way.”

“Now, you and I both know Jerod, he’s gonna be different. He’s gonna be laughing, joking, having a good time — and that’s fine. I think he needs to operate within his strengths,” Slater added.

“But I do think, like, look the last 24 years that place had a lot of success. I don’t think you just wanna burn it to the ground and forget what was done there. So, he’s got to find his kind of middle ground and go from there.”

Much like Matthew Judon, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne expects Mayo’s new culture to bring a new level of energy to the entire organization.

“I think they can expect a newfound energy,” Bourne said this week on NFL Total Access. “A younger kind of vibe. No knock to Bill, but just something different, something new. It’s just kinda how the league is going with coaches now, they’re younger coaches, being more relatable.”

But as Slater explained, Bourne too expects many of the main principles — that helped lay the foundation to six Super Bowl championships — to continue with Mayo.

“The fans are going to get a different feel, but also some of the same things that they’ve seen,” Bourne said. “Jerod played for Bill, he’s been around. He knows his system, but he’s also young and he also can relate to younger guys I think a little bit better than Bill. I think it’s gonna be a newfound energy, new pulse.”

2. Bourne’s Return: Free agent wide receiver Kendrick Bourne continues to make strong progress in his return from ACL surgery. Appearing on NFL Total Access this week, Bourne shared he should be able to take part in some spring workouts and be “full-go” for training camp.

“My plan is to play Game 1 and I believe I’m going to be ready,” he said. “Where I’m at right now, on track, ahead of schedule and I feel good. So, building that confidence, building my strength in my legs so that I can be ready to go Game 1.”

While Bourne is still set to test the free agency market next week, he reiterated that a return to New England is still his priority.

“I do. I do,” he responded when asked if he wanted to return. “It’s some place that they hold a special place in my heart, so I would love to go back.”

3. GM Judon: Matthew Judon also made a pair of appearances on NFL Network this past weekend, where he resumed his role of de-facto general manager.

As the Patriots are strapped with a near league-high in cap space, Judon made the pitch for some of the top available offensive talent, such as wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Josh Jacobs, to join New England.

“Calvin Ridley, come on over to the red, white, and blue. We have a spot for you, no one wears zero, it’s all yours,” Judon said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football.

“We have a great running back, we just need another one. So I’m saying, Josh Jacobs come on out of Nevada, they haven’t treated you well. You won a rushing title, and nobody even talks about it. You do that in New England, No. 1 selling jersey, I’m just saying. I think you and Rhamondre [Stevenson] would be a great 1-2 punch…”

4. Wide Receiver Help: The Patriots know they must upgrade their wide receiver talent this offseason as a key part of weaponizing their offense. As the new league year begins, New England is set to be in on veteran receiver additions in both the trade and free agency markets. Perhaps that leads to Judon getting his wish, as Calvin Ridley is the projected top receiver available on the open market.

5. Backup QB Market: From Josh Dobbs to Joe Flacco, backup quarterbacks became a key storyline to the NFL’s 2023 season. That included a Week 17 where 13 teams were forced to start their backups. With the position showing its importance throughout the season, some around the league expect the market to be more robust in free agency than year’s pasts.

That could impact the Patriots as they look to remodel their QB room, with Jacoby Brissett, who was drafted to New England in 2016 and spent the 2022 season in Cleveland with Alex Van Pelt, potentially serving as a top option.

6. Tag History: The Patriots placed the rare transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger last Tuesday. Dugger became just the sixth player in the last 15 years to receive the tag, joining running back Kenyan Drake (AZ, 2020), cornerback Kyle Fuller (CHI, 2018), tight end Charles Clay (MIA, 2015), center Alex Mack (CLE, 2014), and linebacker Jason Worilds (PIT, 2014).

Among the five, three received offer sheets on the open market (Fuller, Clay, Mack) and two of those offers were matched by their original teams (Fuller, Mack). Despite none of them inking a long-term deal with their original club, 91 percent of Patriots fans believe Dugger will agree to terms on an extension with New England, according to SB Nation’s latest Reacts survey.

7. Bill’s Busy Weekend: Bill Belichick will not be preparing for the NFL Draft this April for the first time in several decades. That won’t mean he’ll be without football, however, as Belichick was announced as a keynote speaker at the University of Washington’s Be a Pro Coaching Clinic on April 5th and 6th. Belichick’s oldest son, Steve, was recently named the UW defensive coordinator, while head coach Jedd Fisch also spent a year on New England’s staff as well.

The Patriots former head coach was also previously announced to speak at Nebraska Football’s X&O’s Clinic that same weekend.

8. Covington’s Connections: “I love the DeMarcus [Covington] hire. I really do,” Matthew Slater said on Mayo’s defensive coordinator selection while on the Green Light podcast. “The thing that I think DeMarcus does the best is just he has tremendous people skills.

“He does a great job of investing in guys in terms of just relational equity, earning their trust, learning about them as men off the field and outside of the building. And I think he really shows his players that he cares about them and that’s gonna really set him up to have success.

“Football is a relationship business — like there are plenty of people who know Xs and Os but can you connect with guys and motivate them, bring the best out of them? And I think he can.”

9. The Cartel: The Patriots special teams units will have a new nickname next season: The Cartel, which is inspired by coordinator Jeremy Springer’s upbringing near the border in Harlingen, Texas.

“The cartel runs s–t down there, we want to run s–t when we’re out there,” Springer said during the New England coaching clinic this past week.

10. Setting up the week ahead: A crazy offseason for the Patriots is about to get even crazier, as the legal tampering period with begins Monday at noon ET. It marks the first chance that Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo can truly begin rebuilding the Patriots’ roster, and the duo is expected to be active with close to $80 million in projected salary cap space.

Any contracts — or trades — that are agreed too during the two day tampering period can then become official at the start of the new league year on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.