Well, that didn't take long ...
Roughly 24 hours after parting ways with Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have hired a new head coach ... Jerod Mayo!!
ESPN's Adam Schefter just reported Robert Kraft made the decision on Friday morning, explaining the team will formally announce the move at a news conference next week.
According to Schefter, the Patriots were able to bypass the NFL's normal, lengthy hiring process because they had written in Mayo's most recent contract that he'd be Belichick's successor.
37-year-old Mayo becomes the youngest current NFL head coach. He's also the Pats' first-ever Black head coach.
Mayo has spent the entirety of his football career in Foxborough -- he was picked by New England in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft ... and played eight years for the org. alongside Tom Brady.
Following his career -- which included one All-Pro selection -- he joined Belichick's staff as a linebackers coach in 2019, holding that role until The Hoodie's departure this week.
The move will almost certainly be welcomed by most in Patriots Nation ... as Deion Branch just told TMZ Sports on Thursday he wanted someone from inside of the building to take over the vacant gig.