New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced that he selected Jerod Mayo five years ago to succeed legendary former head coach Bill Belichick.

“I’ve gotten to know Jerod over the last 15 years and named him our next head coach 5 years ago,” Kraft said Thursday night. “He’s very special and it’s great that he had the opportunity to coach under Bill.”

Mayo served as New England’s linebackers coach from 2019-2023 before being hired as head coach on Jan. 12.

The 38-year-old also has experience learning on the field under Belichick, as he spent all eight years of his playing career in New England. He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award for his 2008 season and was a member of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl 49.

While five years is a long time to hold on to a succession plan in the NFL landscape, the hiring process was swift, with Mayo brought in just one day after Belichick and the Patriots agreed to part ways following a 4-13 record in 2023.

Kraft also alluded to grooming internal candidates for the role when he first introduced Mayo as head coach in a press conference on Jan. 17.

“I have been leading companies for more than 50 years and in my experience the most successful leadership transitions happen when we have the privilege of developing talent from within the company,” he said. “This allows us to create a succession plan that allows the candidate to be better prepared for the opportunity when they take office.”

Mayo has big shoes to fill, but his first season as head coach started strong compared to expectations. The Patriots secured an upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 before narrowly losing to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime on Sunday.

New England will look to improve its lead to 2-1 when it hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 1. Football on Thursday evening.