The New England Patriots wasted little time after parting ways with head coach Bill Belichick before they promoted Jerod Mayo to the top role. The first-year coach immediately showed more openness with the media than his predecessor, but it’s not the only big change in Foxborough.
As the Patriots coach and general manager, Belichick had a set way of doing things that largely tied into competitive advantages and mind games. However, the future Hall of Famer also had some quirky policies that only seemed to stem from how he believed teams should be run.
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During his tenure as Patriots coach, Belichick never allowed Patriots team captains to wear the “C” emblem on their jerseys during the season. No matter if it was Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork or Tedy Bruschi, wearing the same “C” logo that captains on other NFL teams have wasn’t an option.
That’s changing under Mayo. As reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Patriots captains in 2024 will have the “C” on their jerseys throughout the 2024 NFL season.
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“The captains for this year’s team . . . they’ll have their ‘C’s. I do think it’s important to have the ‘C’ on the jerseys. That’s one difference that I think is important…I was a captain seven out of eight years, which once again, whatever happens inside the building. That’s always the most important thing. But I do think it’s like a badge of honor. It’s a badge of honor, and I think when guys do the right thing, they should be recognized for those things. It’s something as small as having the captain’s patch, I think it’s important for those guys.”
New England Patriots HC Jerood Mayo on having Patriots captains wear a “C” on their jersey
The Patriots captains in 2024 – quarterback Jacoby Brissett, center David Andrews, safety Jabrill Peppers, defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and long snapper Joe Cardona – will be the team’s first players in decades to wear the “C” emblem.
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While the decision certainly won’t have any on-field impact, Mayo’s perspective as a player does lead us to believe this is something the Patriots’ locker room wanted. It’s just part of the cultural changes Mayo is bringing in his first season as head coach, but the overhaul of the roster will take much longer.