Patriots HC Jerod Mayo leaves the door open for Tom Brady's return but there's a catch

Tom Brady made major headlines when he recently teased a potential return to the NFL after just one year of retirement. He stated during the Deep Cut podcast that he's "not opposed" to playing again if it was in the right situation. This is a much different response than his usual dismissal of the idea altogether.

Among the teams he mentioned as a theoretical destination was the one he spent most of his career with, the New England Patriots. The 2024 NFL season will be their first without Bill Belichick in more than two decades, with Jerod Mayo replacing him as the head coach.

Mayo was recently asked about Brady potentially returning to the Patriots during an interview on The Greg Hill Show, according to ESPN. He admitted that he's open to the idea of Brady coming back to New England, but not necessarily as a quarterback.

Mayo explained:

"I love Tom. The door is always open if he wants to come in here and coach, but as far as going on the field, I don't know. If he comes in here, going back to 'the best player will play,' you have to come here and compete. He loves competition, but I doubt he's going to be walking through these doors anytime soon."

The Patriots have spent most of the 2024 NFL offseason focusing on improving their quarterback situation. They got rid of Mac Jones and replaced him with a third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft Drake Maye. They also added Joe Milton later on in the draft, brought in veteran Jacoby Brissett, and signed former CFL star Nathan Rourke, to join the returning Bailey Zappe.

Their quarterback room is clearly crowded and the future likely belongs to Drake Maye. It's unclear if he will open the season as the starter or who they will begin the year with, but that is unlikely to be Tom Brady, according to Mayo, as well as Brady himself.

Tom Brady contradicted his own statement on a potential NFL return

Tom Brady rumors

Following his statement of being "not opposed" to the idea of unretiring during the Deep Cut podcast, Tom Brady contradicted it on the very same episode. He commented about how he sees his playing career as completed as he explores the next steps.

Brady claimed:

"My career and all that, that's a thing of the past in my mind. I was a gladiator out there, but now my time has moved on. Now it's, 'OK, how can I deliver for my next group of teammates?' "

Apparently, Jerod Mayo has a solution for Tom Brady, mentioning that a coaching role would always be available to him. That may be difficult for the legendary quarterback, especially considering his 10-year contract worth $375 million to broadcast games for Fox begins this year.