AFC Notes: Jerod Mayo, Bill O’Brien, Bills, Dolphins, Patriots

Bills

• Bills HC Sean McDermott said there is hope for LB Terrel Bernard to return despite being carted off with an ankle injury this past weekend, as he attended team meetings on Wednesday. (Sal Capaccio)

Dolphins

• Texas Tech CB Rayshad Williams met with the Dolphins at the Hula Bowl. (Ryan Fowler)

Patriots

• The Athletic’s Chad Graff notes Patriots OC Bill O’Brien will be an option to remain in the role in 2024 but new HC Jerod Mayo will explore his options. One would be a reunion with former Raiders HC and Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, assuming he doesn’t follow Bill Belichick.
• Browns WR coach Chad O’Shea has been active on the offensive coordinator interview circuit the past few years and was on New England’s coaching staff for Mayo’s entire playing career, so Graff highlights him as an option. 
• Other possibilities include Rams QB coach Zac Robinson or Seahawks OC Shane Waldron, who have backgrounds from the McVay coaching tree and connections to New England, per Graff. 
• He adds some other options could include Kentucky OC Liam Coen, Panthers OC Thomas Brown, or USC QB coach Kliff Kingsbury.
• Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports the Patriots have had some preliminary discussions with WR Kendrick Bourne about potentially bringing him back. However, it’s early in the offseason and New England has a long list of pending free agents. 
• Patriots owner Robert Kraft on hiring Mayo: “I had that same conviction when I hired Bill Belichick – a decision that many questioned at the time and told me I was making a major error.” (Chad Graff)
• Kraft on who will have the final say on the roster: “We have a lot of people internally who had a chance to train and learn from the greatest football coach of all time… In the short term, we’re looking for collaboration…We want to see what we have in-house, look what’s out there in the market place and then do what we think is right.” (Mark Daniels)
• Mayo on coaching and developing players being his calling: “I don’t like echo chambers. I want people around me that are going to question my ideas and the way we’ve done things in the past.” (Graff)
• As for the team’s coordinators, Mayo noted titles are important, before adding: “No knock to coach Belichick…I’m not trying to be Bill. Bill is his own man. If you can’t tell by now, I’m a little bit different. My thing here over the next few weeks is to rebuild some relationships and knock down silos.” (Daniels)