Well, that was quick. The New England Patriots have already filled their head coaching vacancy.

How crazy is that? I mean, it hasn’t even been 24 hours since they split with Bill Belichick.

According to ESPN, Jerod Mayo will be the Patriots’ new head coach. But, this isn’t super surprising. Mayo was serving as co-defensive coordinator already, and there were lots of rumors that he might be head coach. He’ll be the 15th head coach in franchise history.

The Patriots could hire Mayo quickly, because sources say there’s a clause in his contract that named him as the successor to Belichick. So, the team could skip the usual interview process that the NFL requires. That made the move easy-peasy.

Mayo has been the linebackers coach for New England for the past five years. He’s also been a defensive coordinator for the team, along with co-linebackers coach Steve Belichick.

Mayo is also a former player, which fans and players always love to see in a head coach. He’s walked the walk. He was a first-round pick by the Patriots back in 2008. He played eight seasons in New England and was on the team for their 2014 Super Bowl championship. He also won Rookie of the Year in 2008.

Still, I wonder if some Patriots fans are going to be disappointed with this pick. They might want some fresh blood. Especially since the Patriots only won four games this season. It was pretty dismal.

So, what’s next for the Patriots? Well, they have a new head coach. Now, there are more gaps to fill. He may keep some of Belichick’s staff on, but some of those staffers might follow Belichick to his next gig, assuming he takes one. Mayo might also want to bring in some fresh talent.

But, let’s address the elephant in the room. How weird will it be to address a NFL coach as “Mayo,” as in mayonnaise? Weird.

Right now, Mayo is going to be looking to fill the roles of offensive and defensive coordinator. Those are huge. Right now, Bill O’Brien is still offensive coordinator, at least according to the Patriots’ official website. But, the team has no real defensive coordinator, as Mayo and Steve Belichick had been sharing that role. If Steve stays with the Patriots, he could very well land that role. But, he might follow his father wherever Bill goes.

Here’s another big challenge for the Patriots. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are in the market to hire a new general manager. This will be a change for the Patriots. For the past several decades, the team’s head coach has served as GM, or someone else with a different title has taken on those duties. I don’t know why they didn’t get a real GM sooner, but this seems like a good move to me. The last time the Patriots had a full-time GM was with Patrick Sullivan, son of team founder and original owner Billy Sullivan, served in the role. Patrick had that position from 1983 until 1990, when his father sold the team.

Right now, there are no forerunners in the general manager search. But, one thing is certain: The next few months will be very active for the New England Patriots, and next year will be exciting to observe.