The Patriots’ Super Bowl winner “would consider” joining the New England coaching staff.
James White, a former Patriots player, posted a vague message on the internet last week saying that he might want to become a teacher for the New England Patriots next season.
After a few days, White made it much more apparent on the podcast “Off the Pike in Brian Barrett” that he would be interested in becoming the Patriots’ running backs coach.
“For sure, I’d think about it,” White said. “Being a coach has always been on my mind.” Without a doubt, I need to work with the right teaching team because I can’t stay there until 11 p.m. every night.
Anyway, I played the game pretty well, I think I’m a pretty savvy football player, and I can help guys become more flexible, which is something I think is a big part of the Patriots system that we’ve been using for a long time.
“I would think about it if they were to open it up to me.” I’m not sure if they previously had their team, but they may do.
We knew that these people would be in these roles if Jerod Mayo was going to take over as head coach. That being said, I’m not sure if that’s the case. But that is a factor I would think about, though no one has reached out to me yet.”
At this point, it’s not clear if the Patriots, who fired Bill Belichick following 24 seasons, will let Mayo choose his teaching team or make him keep many of Belichick’s aids.
Vinnie Sunseri was New England’s running backs coach for the last three years, but his future with the team is uncertain. Should the Patriots decide to let Sunseri go, they could choose White to take his place.
The eight-year NFL career of White, who helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls before getting hurt and ending before the 2022 season, shows that he is a football legend.
White had 36 all-purpose scores and 3,278 yards gained through catching and 1,278 yards gained through running.
White also gets along well with most of the team members because he played with them before. He has even helped Rhamondre Stevenson grow as a player, and White thinks he could bring out the best in the skilled rushing back.
It will never happen again in New England than Belichick’s run. In any place. By any person. There are six Super Bowl flags in Gillette Stadium because of the empire that Belichick, Tom Brady, as well as Robert Kraft, built. It is one of the best in sports history. It’s over now.
Michael Kraft and his son Jonathan Kraft, who is the team president, now have to find the next great head coach. Someone needs to take over for Bill Belichick and not only fix the team that just went 4-13.
And most likely hire a whole new staff. AND work with the player the Patriots pick third overall in April’s draft. Mayo, who is 37 years old, will be officially presented at a news gathering on Wednesday.
He will be the NFL’s youngest coach, a title that Sean McVay holds since becoming coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 2017. Mayo is one month younger than McVay.
Mayo joined Belichick’s teaching team in 2019 as the linebackers coach. He was a linebacker for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015 after being picked in the first round of the draft out of Tennessee.
The Patriots were able to hire Mayo right away instead of going through the normal NFL hiring process because they built a succession plan into the contract extension he signed last offseason.
This is similar to what the Baltimore Ravens did when Eric DeCosta took over as general manager after Ozzie Newsome retired in 2019.