What Tom Brady thinks of Jerod Mayo taking over as Patriots HC

What Tom Brady thinks of Jerod Mayo taking over as Patriots HC originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots' replacement for Bill Belichick earned the Tom Brady stamp of approval.

On Tuesday, Brady joined ESPN's Pat McAfee Show and discussed a range of topics. Among them was the Patriots hiring Jerod Mayo -- Brady's former teammate -- as their next head coach.

Like his longtime wide receiver Julian Edelman, Brady believes it's the right move for a New England team hoping for a smooth transition into its next chapter.

"Jerod was a great leader, a great captain, a great friend," the legendary quarterback said. "I think he had a tremendous amount of success in football and then had success in other parts of his life when he retired. And then him coming back into coaching I think is great for the NFL and certainly great for the Patriots.

"He's got a great understanding of how things need to be done. I think Jerod does an incredible job relating to everybody in the locker room, all the coaches, and I think he'll do a great job."

Brady and Mayo played together on the Patriots from 2008-15. Mayo, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker, was named a team captain for all of those seasons except his rookie year.

While life without Bill Belichick will take some getting used to, Pats fans should be encouraged by Mayo earning a ringing endorsement from the "GOAT." They need all the positivity they can get following a 4-13 season in which they missed the playoffs for the third time in four years.

Mayo has no shortage of items on his to-do list as he begins his head-coaching career. After promoting defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington to the defensive coordinator role, he still needs to hire an offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator before shifting his focus to NFL free agency and the draft, during which the Patriots are set to pick third overall.

As for Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is preparing to begin his commentating career next season with FOX.

“I’ve had 23 years of just observing, and I get to go on now and speak to a wider audience, and I used to use my body and my brain out there and people would see me, kind of lead the team down the field and now I get to do that in a different way using my voice,” Brady said.