New England Patriots
Mayo joined Fifth Down Capital as the company’s managing director in February.
Jerod Mayo was fired as Patriots head coach at the end of the team’s disastrous 2024 season. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
May 29, 2026 | 5:32 PM
2 minutes to read
Former New England Patriots head coach and Super Bowl champion linebacker Jerod Mayo has landed a new job.
His latest gig has him back in the business world as the managing director of Fifth Down Capital.
Mayo, 40, joined the company in February, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Fifth Down Capital is a private equity investment firm based in Needham.
According to its website, Fifth Down “aims to partner with generational companies and compelling fund managers, shaping large, enduring markets.” The firm has investments in technology, healthcare, and consumer/retail companies, according to PitchBook.
This isn’t Mayo’s first time working in the business world. Before being named Patriots head coach in 2024, he was Optum’s Vice President of Business Development between 2015-18.
During his introductory press conference at Gillette Stadium, Mayo said his time at Optum helped prepare him for the head coaching position.
“One thing I came back with, I learned a lot at Optum,” he said. “I learned a lot about diversity, about diversity and inclusion. You’d better believe being the first Black coach here in New England means a lot to me. But those guys taught me you have to take ideas from other people, Black, white, green, yellow. Really doesn’t matter. Old, young.”
Mayo finished the 2024 season with a 4-13 record. He was fired following New England’s Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills; that victory landed the organization the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft despite having a chance at the No. 1 overall selection.
The Patriots experienced two separate six-game losing streaks during his tenure.
Owner Robert Kraft said earlier this year that the decision to let Mayo go was a difficult one, on both personal and financial fronts.
“I’m very fond of Jerod. I would say that was one of the one or two hardest decisions,” Kraft said in January. “It was very expensive, because it was not only [Mayo’s] contract but 25 other coaches — so it was the worst financial implication since we’ve owned the team.
“But I’m a fan first, and I thought this just isn’t the right situation, and that’s on me. Jerod’s a great guy, but I just didn’t want to go through a continuation of what happened.”
Mayo has kept a fairly low profile since his firing. He did attend a University of Tennessee (his alma mater) football game last September, though.
It doesn’t seem like Mayo is in any rush to get back into the football world with his latest career move.
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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