The Patriots have hired linebackers coach Jerod Mayo to become their next head coach, a source confirmed to the Herald.

Mayo, 37, becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL and the 15th in Patriots franchise history. He recently concluded his fifth season as a coach at any level, having rejoined the organization as an assistant in 2019. Mayo has spent the entirety of his NFL career in New England, where first played from 2008-2015.

The team is expected to hold a press conference next week to announce Mayo’s promotion.

According to a source, during a renegotiation of Mayo’s contract last January, the Patriots included a clause that established a succession plan if and when the franchise parted ways with Bill Belichick. That clause allows Mayo to succeed Belichick without the Patriots conducting a full head-coaching search under normal league rules. Belichick and owner Robert Kraft announced a mutual parting of ways Thursday.

The Patriots are likely to begin a search for the next head of their personnel department, a job Belichick also held during his 24-year run as coach.

ESPN first reported Mayo’s hiring.

This story is developing …