Jerod Mayo is back with the Patriots as an assistant coach. ▲

FOXBORO – Jerod Mayo prepared for this moment. He just needed some time away from football.

After hanging up his cleats in 2015, the former Patriots linebacker is back in Foxboro four years later as an assistant coach. That wasn't a surprise. When he was in Foxboro, Mayo was treated like an extra coach in the Patriots locker room. The surprise is that it took Mayo this long to come back in an official role.

Mayo always knew he'd be back. He just needed some time to refresh before getting back into the grind of NFL life.

"Man, it feels great," Mayo said. "I left for a couple of years, took a little break, went to corporate America, now I'm back here. It feels like home. It feels like home."

This offseason, Mayo returned to the Patriots in a role that many predicted. Although his title hasn't been announced, it's expected that he'll work with inside linebackers during this 2019 season. The 33-year-old says it'll help that he already has relationships with the likes of Dont'a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy.

"Yeah, I know Dont'a, Kyle. I know a bunch of those guys," Mayo said. "It helps on the field, but at the same time, we are friends but there's also that player/coach relationship that you have to continue to build. We're working on that. At the end of the day, it's all about going out there and performing well."

Mayo prepped for this opportunity a long time ago. A former captain and Pro Bowler, he's certainly well suited to coach linebackers. During the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Mayo even worked as an assistant while on the injured reserve.

"Yeah, when I was injured, I used to break down film with Steve (Belichick), with Steve all the time," Mayo said. "Definitely that aspect helped me out, but at the same time, this defense changes every year. So, now I'm getting back into it, learning from all the assistant coaches and coach (Bill) Belichick about the defense today, so it's good."