Just thinking about this further, but it makes even more sense beyond just good team leadership.
Think about Ninko, 5th-round pick, doesn't do much as a rookie, gets waived, hooks onto the Dolphins for a bit before getting waived again, moves around the practice squad to the active roster back to the practice squad back to the Saints back to being waived before finally hooking on with the Patriots, where he was a back-up contributor. He didn't become a full-time starter until his 5th year. He knows better than most what Fletcher was going through.
And before Tom was the GOAT, he was the 6th-round, 4th-string QB on a 5-11 Patriots team. He has a healthy respect for every single guy on the team, because he knows what it's like to be near the bottom.
So we should always be mindful of the late bloomers and the under-rated guys who become stars. Jules was next to nobody 4 years ago. Chung had to leave before he could come back and become an effective starter. There's a ton of these guys throughout the recent history, from Lawfirm to Arrington to Asante and waaaaaaaaaay back even to former 8th-round pick Troy Brown, who didn't become a full-time starter until his 8th year in the league.
For all we know, Fletcher could be the next Ninko.
I don't mean to go on about this. But it just hit me that those two guys especially would reach out. Mayo is a leader, and Fletcher was his backup so they must have also been close.
