The Patriots will introduce Jerod Mayo as their 15th head coach in franchise history Wednesday during an introductory press conference at Gillette Stadium.

If the Patriots follow press conference precedent, owner Robert Kraft will make an opening statement. Mayo should then follow suit. Once those statements are over, questions will fly. Questions covering Mayo’s coaching staff, the reorganized front office, available roster talent, quarterback position and more.

Taking over a 4-13 team leaves Mayo with a to-do list as long as the list of players he tackled over his eight-year playing career. So, what are Mayo’s immediate plans? What are his priorities? And how do the Krafts intend to help him bring this vision to life?

Here are six burning questions Mayo and ownership should face Wednesday:

1. How does Mayo see state of the franchise?

The last time Bill Belichick took questions as the Patriots’ head coach, he used the word “reconstruction” to describe the offseason task ahead. Do Mayo and the Krafts agree that the team must be remade?

Ostensibly, the Patriots are headed for a rebuild. They have no franchise quarterback, scant offensive talent and a dearth of blue-chip players. They’re scheduled to hold the third-most cap space heading into free agency, and the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.

And yet, as bad as last season was, there’s a case to be made that a few offensive tweaks could have led to a 7-10 or 8-9 finish. So, are the Patriots close to competing again for a playoff spot? Or are they as distant as their draft position would indicate.

What does Mayo believe?

2. Will you conduct an offensive coordinator search?

Earlier this week, Mayo initiated coaching searches for a new defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. While it’s unclear whether Panthers linebackers coach Tem Lukabu (defensive coordinator) or Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams are strong candidates for those jobs, there’s even less certainty surrounding the future of the offense.

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, left, talks to quarterback Bailey Zappe during a game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

For now, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien remains under contract. Josh McDaniels has been local and may be angling for a job, be it in his old role or as an assistant head coach. Mayo might also be inclined to go outside the Belichick tree, preferring a new scheme and coaching philosophy to jump-start an offense that sunk the Patriots for two straight seasons.

If not, O’Brien is likely to stay in place – unless Belichick pulls him away if/when he’s hired to be the head coach of another team.

3. What are you seeking in an offensive coordinator?

OK, let’s say Mayo opens a search.

What type of offense does Mayo want to run? What experience or traits does Mayo value in an offensive coordinator? Must this OC hail from the Belichick coaching tree? And will he also coach quarterbacks, as O’Brien and McDaniels have in recent seasons, which would considerably narrow the candidate pool?

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In the event of a search, the Patriots must interview one external, minority candidate. Last year, Belichick satisfied the Rooney Rule before it became evident O’Brien was the heavy favorite days before his hiring. But during that search, Belichick used his search to gather intel on a future position coach, Adrian Klemm, whom he hired weeks later to lead the Patriots’ offensive line.

If Mayo has already narrowed his choices down, he may treat this search similarly to help build his staff.

4. Do you plan on drafting a quarterback?

Don’t expect a straight answer on this topic, but given the collective struggles of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe the past two years, it’s a fair ask.

If Mayo and/or ownership says yes, all eyes should lock onto the No. 3 pick, where one of USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels will be available. At the end of the college season, Daniels forced his way into the top of most mock drafts, where experts have projected Williams and Maye to lead off the 2024 draft for months.

Jerod Mayo reportedly offers to keep Bill Belichick’s sons on Patriots staff

If the Patriots are not set on adding a rookie, free agency or trade could become their focus, and short-term expectations may change drastically. One example: in 2017, after hiring coach Sean McDermott, the Bills continued with veteran journeyman Tyrod Taylor and made a surprise playoff run before new general manager Brandon Beane drafted Josh Allen the following year, when Buffalo’s real rebuild began.

5. Who will have final say over the 53-man roster?

For now, the answer appears to be one of director of player personnel Matt Groh or director of scouting Eliot Wolf.

Groh continues to lead the front office, as he has the past two years, but Wolf’s experience (16 years in outside personnel departments) cannot be ignored. Both of them have been centrally involved in recent draft classes and free-agent efforts, while Belichick had final say. Now that Belichick is gone, who will be Mayo’s chief partner in rebuilding the Patriots?

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6. Will ownership be involved in football decisions?

The history of NFL owners inserting themselves into football operations with a head coach and general manager already in place is a checkered one.

Now, there is no indication Robert Kraft or Jonathan Kraft plan to be more involved in the Mayo era than the last two decades. Only speculation. But hiring the league’s youngest head coach may tempt some at the ownership level to intervene in a way they were blocked off for 24 years with Belichick.

Given the significance of the organizational change and lack of a single leader in the front office, these new dynamics at 1 Patriot Place bear watching.