Patriots To Hire Todd Downing

Another ex-colleague of Mike Vrabel‘s is set to reunite with him in New England. The Patriots are hiring Todd Downing to be their receivers coach, as first reported by Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal.

[RELATED: Patriots Add Ashton Grant, Others To Staff]

Downing’s NFL coaching career dates back to 2003, although he has never worked as a WRs coach to date. Still, this move comes as little surprise given his history with Vrabel. When the latter was head coach of the Titans, Downing worked alongside him (including two years as a play-calling offensive coordinator). The Patriots will – once again – have Josh McDaniels handling OC duties for 2025, but Downing represents an experienced addition to their staff.

The 44-year-old was fired after the 2022 season, one which he was arrested for DUI. Tennessee’s offense ranked 15th in scoring during Downing’s first year at the helm, but the unit regressed to 30th in that regard the following year. He did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, though, joining the Jets as their pass-game coordinator in 2023.

Nathaniel Hackett‘s tenure as New York’s OC did not go as planned, and part of the team’s midseason coaching shakeup included a plan from Robert Saleh to demote Hackett and install Downing as play-caller. Saleh was fired before he could do so, but interim HC Jeff Ulbrich followed through with the plan. The Jets did not rebound as hoped on offense, generally speaking, after that move was made. Especially with a new coaching staff being brought in, it comes as no surprise Downing will be moving on in 2025. It will be interesting to see how he fares with a Patriots WR corps which could see several changes this offseason.

Prior to the news of Downing’s hire, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Wes Welker was among the staffers the Patriots considered for the role of receivers coach. Welker worked in that capacity with the 49ers from 2019-21 and followed Mike McDaniel from San Francisco to Miami. The 43-year-old was let go at the end of the campaign, though, leaving him in need of a fresh start. Welker’s career included six seasons with the Patriots playing under McDaniels and his coaching tenure started with the Texans while Vrabel was the team’s defensive coordinator.

In other staff news, Reiss adds that Matthew Slater will not be back with New England in 2025. The longtime special teams ace held the title of special assistant to head coach Jerod Mayo last season, but with Mayo no longer in place that role will not exist under Vrabel. Slater will need to head elsewhere if he is to continue his coaching career.

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