FOXBORO — Patriots captain Ja’Whaun Bentley was one of a handful of players to attend Jerod Mayo’s introductory press conference Wednesday.

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Speaking with reporters afterward, Bentley left no room for interpretation about how the locker room feels about Mayo’s promotion.

“We’re hyped for this whole thing,” he said.

Bentley, a third-year captain, has played most of his career under Mayo. He entered the league as a fifth-round pick in 2018, a year before Mayo rejoined the organization as a position coach. Since then, Mayo has grown into the unofficial leader of the defense, often leading meetings and creating game plans with fellow linebackers coach Steve Belichick. Once news of Bill Belichick’s departure made waves last Thursday, Bentley thought Mayo was the best and most obvious candidate to replace him.

“We’re glad to see the right thing happened. The right guy got the job,” Bentley added. “Having Jerod step up into that position, it’s not really surprising or too shocking for us.”

Bentley watched Mayo’s press conference from the back of the room with veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones, the elder statesman of the Patriots’ secondary. Jones piloted a plane from his native Georgia early Wednesday and landed in Norwood so he could attend. Both players shared that much of what Mayo told reporters Wednesday were phrases and ideas he’s repeatedly shared in team meetings.

“In the meeting rooms, he’d always say, ‘Hey, this is your guys’ defense. I’ll give you this canvas and you paint it on there,’ ” Jones said. “He just has an understanding of players. He hasn’t been far removed from being a player himself, so he definitely has that perspective.”

Quarterback Mac Jones, outside linebacker Josh Uche and long snapper Joe Cardona were also present. Several members of the Patriots’ front office, including director of player personnel Matt Groh, director of scouting Eliot Wolf and director of pro scouting Steve Cargile, joined them.