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Patriots To Hire Ben McAdoo

February 6th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Adam La Rose

Another high-profile name is set to join Jerod Mayo‘s initial Patriots staff. New England is hiring Ben McAdoo as an offensive assistant, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer – who initially reported the Patriots’ interest – confirms the deal is essentially in place. McAdoo will play a key role on offense alongside new OC Alex Van Pelt, who joined New England’s staff after his four-year run with the Browns came to an end this offseason. He and McAdoo previously overlapped in Green Bay, and the pair will now work alongside each other with the Patriots.

The latter was out of coaching in 2023, after his one-year stint as offensive coordinator of the Panthers. That campaign marked the end of Matt Rhule‘s head coaching tenure, and McAdoo was not connected to any OC openings in the 2023 hiring cycle. The 46-year-old nevertheless has experience in a number of roles, including assistant and positional titles before and after his time with the Giants.

McAdoo worked as New York’s OC from 2014-15 before being promoted to serve as the team’s head coach for the next two campaigns. An 11-5 record was followed up by a 2-10 mark in 2017, leading to his midseason dismissal. McAdoo moved to a QBs coach role with the Jaguars in 2020, followed by a one-year stint as a consultant with the Cowboys. That time set him up for his Carolina OC opportunity, but it comes as little surprise that his next NFL gig will not be at the coordinator level.

Van Pelt did not call plays during his time working under Kevin Stefanski, so pairing him with an experienced offensive mind in McAdoo is a logical step for the Patriots. New England will be looking to take a tangible step forward on offense in 2024, likely with a new face under center. McAdoo has a reputation for evaluating QB prospects, and the Patriots will be heavily invested in scouting that position with the No. 3 pick in April’s draft. It is not a lock the team adds a signal-caller with the top two prospects (Caleb Williams and Drake Maye) likely to be off the board at that point, but McAdoo will now be part of the staff which makes a decision on that front.

Plenty of questions remain given Mayo’s status as a rookie head coach and the state of the Patriots’ roster. His staff continues to come into shape, though, and McAdoo furthers the mix of outside coaches brought in to pair with internal candidates who were promoted to their new roles. His next opportunity to rebuild his stock will come with a transitioning New England team.

RB Rex Burkhead Announces Retirement

February 5th, 2024 at 7:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite being a sixth-round pick, Rex Burkhead managed to play 10 NFL seasons. The veteran running back did not play during the 2023 campaign and will not attempt to come back.

The former Bengals, Patriots and Texans back announced his retirement Monday. This will wrap a productive career as a supplementary back, with Burkhead’s most notable work coming in New England. Burkhead, 33, did venture to Las Vegas for a Raiders workout while Josh Jacobs was away on the franchise tag last summer, but no reunion between he and Josh McDaniels came to pass.

The Patriots initially signed Burkhead during the 2017 offseason, adding him while letting LeGarrette Blount walk in free agency. Burkhead and James White represented constants in the Pats’ backfield over the ensuing four years, with the likes of Dion Lewis, Sony Michel, Damien Harris and Cordarrelle Patterson mixing in at various points. The Patriots mostly used Burkhead as a backup running back and an auxiliary pass catcher. He managed eight touchdowns in 2017 (three receiving) but made his most memorable contributions during the ’18 playoffs. The Patriots saved an IR-return slot — back when NFL rules only allowed teams to bring two players off IR in a season — for Burkhead, who had suffered an early-season concussion.

Although the Chiefs’ rise was imminent, the Patriots delayed that ascent when they ousted the No. 1-seeded team in the 2018 AFC championship game. The Pats won an overtime thriller in Kansas City. Finishing with 64 scrimmage yards that night, Burkhead scored in the final minute of regulation to give the Pats a lead and then secured the visitors a walk-off win after a 2-yard TD to punctuate the first drive of overtime. Burkhead collected a Super Bowl ring soon after.

Burkhead was part of a crowded Bengals backfield earlier in the 2010s, seeing Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill garner most of the work. The Nebraska alum only surpassed 100 scrimmage yards in one of his four Cincinnati seasons — his 2016 platform year — but the Patriots gave Burkhead three contracts — the most notable a three-year, $9.75MM accord in 2018.

Closing out his career with the Texans, Burkhead signed two more deals with the rebuilding team — one run by ex-Patriots exec Nick Caserio. Burkhead delivered a 149-yard showing to help the Texans upset the Chargers in Week 16 of that season; that result ended up denying the Bolts a playoff berth. At 31, Burkhead finished the 2021 season with a career-high 427 rushing yards. Over the course of his career, Burkhead earned just more than $18MM.

Washington To Hire Patriots’ Steve Belichick As Defensive Coordinator

February 5th, 2024 at 7:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jerod Mayo was interested in retaining Steve Belichick on his first Patriots staff, but that will not happen. The interview Belichick took for a college position will lead to a Foxborough exit.

The second-generation NFL coach is leaving the Patriots to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington, per 247Sports.com’s Matt Zenitz. Field Yates of ESPN.com indicates Belichick has since accepted the Huskies’ offer. This will mark a significant change for Steve Belichick, but given the developments with his father and the Patriots, it was not too difficult to predict he would also be leaving.

Steve Belichick, 36, worked as a defensive assistant under Bill Belichick for 12 seasons. While his tie to the all-time coaching great undoubtedly aided this rise, Bill entrusted Steve as his primary defensive play-caller over the past four seasons. The Patriots did not employ a traditional defensive coordinator following Matt Patricia‘s 2018 exit, but Mayo and Brian Flores were viewed as the top assistants on that side of the ball. Steve Belichick, however, played a major role during the 2020s.

Moving from the defensive assistant level to the safeties coach position in 2016, Steve coached the Pats’ outside linebackers from 2020-23. Matt Judon and Josh Uche delivered productive seasons during that span, though the Pats were not able to increase Steve Belichick’s ring count from three to four in the ’20s. Mayo offered Steve and Brian Belichick, who joined the staff in 2017 and has been the team’s safeties coach for the past four years, jobs on his 2024 staff. It is not yet known how Brian will proceed, but Steve will land his first coordinator job.

Bill Belichick never coached in the college ranks, but his father spent decades on the Navy staff. The Huskies hired Jedd Fisch as HC to replace new Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer; Fisch was the Patriots’ quarterbacks coach in 2020. The Huskies are also hiring Patriots running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri to help out in the secondary, Yates adds. Sunseri, 32, has been with the Pats since 2020; he spent the past three seasons as their RBs coach but initially joined Bill Belichick’s staff as a defensive assistant.

This all comes as the NFL coaching carousel came to a stop with Bill Belichick without a job. The six-time Super Bowl-winning HC was planning to be selective, though teams were also leery of Belichick and the power he would want; only two — the Falcons and Commanders — talked to him about their HC vacancies. and it should not be expected he will join a team as an assistant. While Belichick has been an NFL staffer in every season since 1975, he has not worked as a coordinator since 1999. Bill, 71, is not planning to retire; a 2025 re-emergence — in what could be his last shot to land a third NFL HC gig — will be on the radar.

Additionally, the Patriots are hiring Packers defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery to work in the same capacity, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. A Packers assistant since 2015, Montgomery worked under Dom Capers, Mike Pettine and Joe Barry. The Packers brought Montgomery up from the college ranks; he worked as a college D-line assistant from 2006-14. Montgomery, 44, will replace DeMarcus Covington, whom the Patriots moved into the DC role.

Circling back to the college ranks, two-time Patriots OC Bill O’Brien will make a rather pivotal change. After leaving the Pats to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, O’Brien is moving close to a deal to become Boston College’s next head coach, Rich Thompson of the Boston Herald reports. Prior to the Patriots hiring a new OC (Alex Van Pelt), O’Brien bolted for the Ohio State gig. The Packers’ decision to hire ex-Boston College HC Jeff Hafley as DC looks set to produce a ripple effect.

Coaching Notes: Patriots, Raiders, Jets, Dolphins

February 3rd, 2024 at 9:37am CST by Ben Levine

Steve Belichick and Jerod Mayo worked in tandem to guide the Patriots defense during Bill Belichick‘s final years in New England. With the older Belichick gone and Mayo having been promoted to head coach, the younger Belichick was facing an uncertain future with the organization. While there were some rumblings that Mayo was interested in keeping Steve Belichick on staff, the Patriots linebackers coach is set to interview for a job at the University of Washington, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

While the Patriots didn’t have a traditional defensive coordinator in recent years, Belichick and Mayo were both credited with running the group. Steve Belichick was the defensive play-caller over each of the past four seasons, leading some pundits to wonder if he could earn a promotion to full-time DC with Mayo now leading the way. There were also rumblings that the younger Belichick could join his father in a new landing spot. Ultimately, neither of those scenarios came to fruition, and Steve Belichick is now eyeing a role elsewhere.

Patriots RB coach Vinnie Sunseri is also set to interview with the University of Washington. The coach has experience working on both sides of the ball, and he worked alongside Jedd Fisch when the two were in New England.

Elsewhere on the Patriots staff, assistant special teams coach Joe Houston is leaving for the University of Florida, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. Houston was set to be named Alabama’s special teams coach in 2020, but the Patriots convinced him to join their coaching staff. He’s spent the past four seasons in New England.

More coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • The Raiders are hiring DeShaun Foster as their new running backs coach, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. After finishing his playing career with more than 4,500 yards from scrimmage, Foster joined UCLA’s staff in 2012. He’s spent most of the past 12 seasons with the Bruins, including the past seven as their running backs coach. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that he expects the Raiders to also add Andre Carter to their staff. The former first-round pick previously served as the Jets defensive line coach.
  • The Jets have added Shawn Jefferson as their new wide receivers coach, according to Josina Anderson. Jefferson has been coaching since 2006, and he’s had stints as the WRs coach with the Lions, Titans, Dolphins, Jets, Cardinals, and (most recently) the Panthers. He had a previous stint with New York’s coaching staff, serving as the WRs coach/assistant head coach in 2019 and 2020.
  • The Dolphins are making some significant changes to their coaching staff. According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, the organization has parted ways with offensive assistant Kolby Smith. Wolfe adds that offensive assistant Ricardo Allen, offensive assistant Mike Judge, and assistant special teams coach Brendan Farrell also won’t be back in 2024. Smith is a somewhat notable departure. After working alongside RB coach Eric Studesville this past season, he was interviewed for the Jaguars RB coach job.
  • The Rams have hired Giff Smith as their defensive line coach/run game coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The long-time coach had been with the Chargers since 2016, serving as defensive line coach and linebackers coach. He took on the role of interim head coach this past season following the firing of Brandon Staley, with the Chargers going winless in his three games at the helm. Per Pelissero, a number of teams reached out to Smith about joining their staffs, but the coach ultimately decided to stick in Los Angeles.

Bill Belichick Fallout: Falcons, GM Power, Morris, Eagles, Cowboys, Patriots, QBs, Kraft

February 2nd, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

This coaching carousel’s music has stopped with Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel on the outside looking in. While Vrabel’s prospects of returning to the league figure to remain strong, Belichick’s age — and the developments during this year’s hiring period — inject uncertainty into his prospects of landing another NFL HC job.

No coach in Belichick’s age range has landed a job, with Bruce Arians (66) being the oldest HC hire. Belichick’s age (72 in April) was naturally a factor for the Falcons, who interviewed him twice. But a degree of territory protecting appears to have transpired as well.

Arthur Blank indeed wanted to hire Belichick this year, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes, adding that some around the longtime Falcons owner swayed him. Belichick loomed as the early favorite, but after the team expanded its search (including Vrabel and Jim Harbaugh) following his second interview, it signaled a different candidate would be hired. The Falcons hired Raheem Morris, whom ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes has a five-year contract.

Morris remained popular with Falcons players, though the bulk of the cogs from his season as interim coach are gone. Had Belichick been hired by the Falcons, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes an organizational “groundshake” — on both the football and business sides — would have taken place. Staffers being concerned about losing their jobs or seeing their roles change dramatically is understandable, and this appears to be a key part of why Belichick is not currently assembling a staff in Atlanta.

Blank and Falcons CEO Rich McKay ran the team’s coaching search, with a team announcement indicating GM Terry Fontenot would provide input. This would suggest a vulnerability regarding the fourth-year GM’s status, but McKay assured following the Arthur Smith firing that was not the case. The Morris hire effectively keeps Fontenot in good standing, and although the Falcons have said the GM will now report to ownership — with McKay being kicked to the business side — The Athletic’s Jeff Howe indicates the latter does not have a good relationship with Belichick (subscription required).

A Belichick arrival would have undoubtedly meant a reduced Fontenot and potentially affected McKay’s, though given the latter’s 21-year tenure with the Falcons, Blank should not have been expected to dismiss his former GM to appease Belichick. Blank remains loyal to McKay, per Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson, who adds McKay’s longstanding relationship with Morris — whom he hired as a quality control assistant in Tampa during his run as Buccaneers GM — played a role in the Rams DC being hired.

Although a coach with Belichick’s credentials being shut out during this year’s cycle points to front office staffers being concerned about job security, it is also believed certain demands from the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC were set to ensue. Belichick and Blank are not believed to have discussed who would hold final say on personnel matters, but Robinson adds the coaching icon believed had he taken the job the Atlanta football ops would need to run through him. Shortly before the Belichick-Patriots separation, the 24-year New England HC expressed a willingness to relinquish some authority to stay. It does not appear that entailed a true commitment to change.

Had Robert Kraft believed Belichick would have been more open to changes — from his front office to philosophy to roster construction — Howe adds the owner would have been more inclined to keep him onboard for the 2024 season. Belichick’s Patriots contract ran through 2024, but Kraft followed through with a long-rumored plan to move on. The contract he authorized for Jerod Mayo in 2023 led to the assistant being quickly promoted.

The post-Tom Brady years in New England have also played an obvious role in Belichick’s extended status as a coaching free agent. Belichick’s handling of his quarterback position following Brady’s 2020 exit has also impacted teams’ view of him, Howe adds, with Mac Jones‘ swoon serving as the crux of this concern. Belichick crafted a bizarre plan to shift Matt Patricia to the offensive side, where he called plays in 2022.

This season brought a significant downturn for Jones, who finished behind only Ja’Marr Chase in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Jones’ regression continued, under a third OC in three years (Bill O’Brien), and his NFL future is suddenly cloudy. Belichick demoted Jones to his third-string quarterback in Week 18, with ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss indicating poor scout-team work leading up to that contest prompted the departing HC to make that move. This marked the final chapter in a steadily deteriorating relationship between Belichick and the passer he chose 15th overall three years ago.

Belichick’s comments regarding Jones — before his 2023 freefall — have also confused some execs around the league, Howe adds. Had Belichick kept his Patriots job, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano offers that he would have been expected to target a veteran quarterback this offseason. Belichick’s only Patriot-years season with a veteran option featured Cam Newton in 2020; the diminished MVP became a one-and-done in New England. Newton’s limitations in 2020 led to the Jones investment. It will now be on Mayo, and however the Patriots go about restructuring their front office, to solve this latest QB problem.

Belichick the coach continued to churn out stingy defenses, even without key pieces this season, but his GM work left the Patriots with one of the NFL’s worst rosters. Belichick’s personnel acumen previously equipped the Brady-led teams with a number of undervalued gems, aiding the Super Bowl runs. But the near-50-year NFL staffer’s standing has undeniably fallen. Only the Falcons and Commanders are believed to have spoken with Belichick about their HC jobs.

The Eagles and Cowboys, however, may be teams to monitor for the 2025 cycle — one that could conceivably be Belichick’s last chance to land another HC job. Both teams considered Belichick last month, but each NFC East power retained its embattled coach.

The Eagles retained Nick Sirianni, but had the Super Bowl HC not agreed to certain demands regarding his coordinators, the Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard indicated during an appearance on 98.5’s Felger and Mazz (h/t Bleacher Report) a Belichick-to-Philly path is believed to have been viable for 2024. The Eagles likely joined the Falcons in making backchannel contact pertaining to a potential Belichick pursuit, Bedard notes. Unlike Doug Pederson in 2021, Sirianni did fire coordinators. It is safe to place Sirianni, his 3-for-3 rate at leading the Eagles to the playoffs, on a hot seat.

Bedard noted the Eagles were “very interested” in Belichick, pointing to this connection remaining a storyline should Sirianni struggle to reassert himself this season. The Eagles would almost definitely not hand final personnel say to Belichick, given Howie Roseman‘s track record (the 2015 Chip Kelly-driven demotion notwithstanding). That would make this fit interesting, but were Belichick to spend his first season away from the NFL since 1974, it stands to reason he would go into the 2025 hiring period with reduced requests regarding the personnel side.

Jerry Jones also made headlines by saying he could work with Belichick, saying (via Yahoo’s Jori Epstein) there is “no doubt” he could coexist with the towering sideline presence. Jones openly saying he’d be fine with another (more accomplished) coach than is own is telling, but Mike McCarthy remains in place for a fifth season. The Cowboys are not extending McCarthy’s contract, making him the rare lame-duck HC in the modern NFL. This will naturally keep Belichick on the Dallas radar. How Belichick would navigate a setup in which ownership runs the personnel would be interesting, though Jones did cede more power to Belichick mentor Bill Parcells during the latter’s four-year stay in the 2000s.

As for this season, Jonathan Jones points to Belichick taking a TV job as the most likely 2024 path. The 29-year HC veteran was planning to be selective about a third HC destination, with Jones adding the goal will remain for personnel power to be involved in a 2025 pursuit. The clock is ticking on that front, with only four coaches in NFL history coaching a game beyond age 71.

Although Belichick’s football knowledge will obviously far surpass anyone he attempts to work with moving forward, the Patriots’ post-Brady years — along with potential consequences for in-house staffers on HC-needy teams — have him in the penalty box for now. With no retirement plans, Belichick’s potential re-emergence in 2025 will be a major NFL storyline over the next several months.

Alex Van Pelt Lands Patriots’ OC Job

February 1st, 2024 at 5:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:20pm: The Patriots have officially announced the hiring. The organization also revealed that they’ve hired Jeremy Springer as their new special teams coordinator.

Springer spent the past two seasons as the Rams assistant special teams coach, and he had previous ST coordinator gigs at Marshall and Arizona. Springer had a pair of interviews for the Patriots job, with the coach having a dinner with Patriots brass last week.

4:20pm: A thorough Patriots search to replace Bill O’Brien took place, and it will end with a recently dismissed coordinator seeing a responsibility increase. Alex Van Pelt will be the Pats’ choice as offensive coordinator, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Fired after four seasons as the Browns’ non-play-calling OC, Van Pelt will move into position to call plays for the Patriots. He will become New England’s fourth OC in four seasons. After Josh McDaniels reclaimed the Pats’ play-calling reins for a 10-year period, his Las Vegas exit destabilized this situation. Van Pelt had interviewed for the Buccaneers and Raiders’ jobs, but he will end up with the AFC East club.

The team, which employed O’Brien and Matt Patricia as its primary play-callers over the past two seasons, will look to Van Pelt to offer more consistency. The Pats have now filled their OC and DC posts. With Jerod Mayo bringing a defensive background into his first chance as a head coach, the Van Pelt hire is naturally more important than the recent DeMarcus Covington promotion. After working as a Kevin Stefanski game-planning aide for four years, Van Pelt will pick up play-calling duties in Foxborough.

This hire comes at a rather important juncture for the franchise. The Patriots hold the No. 3 overall pick. Although this was long regarded as a draft that would begin with Caleb Williams and Drake Maye before a potential drop-off at quarterback, Heisman winner Jayden Daniels has made inroads toward being an early draftee. Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN mock draft has Daniels going off the board to Washington at No. 2, with Maye falling to New England at 3. Whichever passer the Pats end up with, it would be their top draft investment at the position since choosing Drew Bledsoe first overall in 1993.

Chosen seven rounds after Bledsoe in that 1993 draft, Van Pelt played quarterback in the NFL for 11 years. The 53-year-old assistant has primarily coached QBs during his time on the sidelines. Van Pelt was in place as Aaron Rodgers‘ position coach from 2014-17, which overlapped with the second of the ex-Packer great’s four MVP awards. This is now his third crack as an offensive coordinator. The longtime Bills backup QB received an early chance to call plays in Buffalo, back in 2009 under Dick Jauron. A Bills coaching change sent Van Pelt back to the position coach circuit, but the Browns moved him back to the coordinator tier in 2020.

The Browns made the decision to fire Van Pelt, running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney. These ousters proved curious due to the play at certain positions. Cleveland received a boost from its Joe Flacco signing, with the recent Jets backup showing much better form than he displayed in New York. While Flacco could not lead the Browns past the Texans in the wild-card round, Stefanski and Van Pelt helped the aging QB morph from emergency late-season signing to Comeback Player of the Year finalist.

Van Pelt interviewed well in Tampa, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, potentially giving him options. The Bucs and Raiders will continue their respective searches. The Patriots are attempting to bounce back from a rough two-season stretch on offense. Mac Jones‘ value tanked in that span, going from Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2021 to a player demoted to the third-string spot by the end of his third seasons.

The Pats ranked 31st in points and 30th in total yardage under O’Brien, who left to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. The team will turn to Van Pelt (and likely a rookie QB) in an effort to change its fortunes on offense. This will be Van Pelt’s 19th season as an NFL assistant.

With Van Pelt now in the fold, the Patriots can start filling out the rest of their coaching staff. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that the team is eyeing Andy Dickerson as their offensive line coach. Following a nine-year stint as the Rams assistant OL coach, Dickerson spent four years on the Seahawks staff, serving as the offensive run game coordinator and (later) the offensive line coach.

2024 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

February 1st, 2024 at 9:55am CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders’ hire has wrapped this year’s cycle. Barring a team making an 11th-hour change, the 2024 HC carousel has come to a stop. The final breakdown produced five defensive coaches being hired compared to three with backgrounds on offense. Many teams are still searching for offensive and defensive coordinators, however.

Updated 2-1-24 (10:37am CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo, linebackers coach (Patriots): Hired

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Patriots Interested In Klint Kubiak, Scott Turner For OC Position

January 29th, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots have cast a wide net in their search for a new offensive coordinator. Several outside candidates are already known to be on the team’s radar, but the list of staffers drawing interest continues to grow.

New England has already met with 49ers assistant Brian Fleury for the OC gig, but he is not the only member of Kyle Shanahan‘s staff to have done so. Passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak also spoke with the Patriots about the position. In addition, as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes, the Patriots plan to interview Raiders passing game coordinator Scott Turner this week.

Kubiak has been connected to three other coordinator vacancies during the 2024 hiring cycle as he considers a potential return to a coordinator posting. The 36-year-old held the position for one year (2021) with the Vikings before joining the Broncos the following year as their QBs coach. This past offseason, he joined Shanahan’s staff as passing game coordinator, making him a key figure guiding an offense which put up elite numbers in several categories and helped lead the team to the Super Bowl.

Because of that success, Kubiak can interview again during the upcoming week, but he cannot be hired until the end of the season. That does not apply to Turner, whose season ended after Week 18 with the Raiders falling short of the postseason. The latter has not yet been mentioned as a candidate for any OC opening around the league, but like Kubiak, he has coordinator experience.

Turner oversaw the Commanders’ offense from 2020-22, though he never guided the unit to a finish better than 23rdin scoring over that period. The 41-year-old spent this season with the Raiders, a team which underwent considerable staffing changes midseason with Antonio Pierce taking on head coaching duties. He is in place on a full-time basis, leaving open the possibility Turner and other assistants will be headed elsewhere this offseason.

Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley is the only Patriots candidate to have a second interview lined up so far. While he might therefore be the favorite for the position, New England is certainly employing a wide-ranging approach in its search to find a Bill O’Brien replacement.

Here is an updated look at the Patriots’ search:

Patriots To Conduct Second OC Interview With Rams’ Nick Caley

January 28th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 28: With Robinson now off the market, the Patriots are narrowing their OC search. Per Breer, Caley is flying from Los Angeles for a second interview with the club. Joining Caley is fellow Rams staffer Jeremy Springer, who will sit for a second interview for the Pats’ ST coordinator position. The two men will have dinner with New England brass tonight and will interview tomorrow.

JANUARY 21, 11:25am: Sean McVay‘s staff continues to generate interest; the Patriots are now scheduled to meet with two Rams assistants. Zac Robinson will also interview for the job, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, who notes the Robinson-Patriots meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. Robinson has been the Rams’ QBs coach for the past two seasons.

The Patriots have company with Robinson. The Bears and Saints have sent out requests to meet with the 37-year-old assistant, whom the Rams retained last year despite shuffling their coaching staff. If neither Caley nor Robinson lands a job, each is expected back in L.A. McVay said recently the team is not planning to shake up its staff this year.

8:18am: For a second straight year, Nick Caley is set to interview for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator post. A failure to land this gig in 2023 led Caley to the Rams, but with Bill O’Brien returning to the college ranks, the job is open again.

Jerod Mayo still has the former Patriots assistant on his radar, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicating Caley will interview for the position Monday. Caley, 40, spent this season as the Rams’ tight ends coach, the same title he held in New England previously. O’Brien became OC at Ohio State this week; he was far from certain to stay on with the Patriots under Mayo.

Caley coached Pats tight ends from 2017-22 and spent eight years in New England, arriving back in 2015. This timing gave Caley two Super Bowl rings and provided him an opportunity to work with Rob Gronkowski during his final years with the team. The Patriots’ view of Caley back in 2022 led to a responsibility increase following Josh McDaniels‘ Las Vegas exit, but they passed on him for O’Brien — a staffer Robert Kraft helped bring back to Foxborough.

Both the Jets and Texans also met with Caley about their OC post last year as well, but each team went with familiarity. The Jets were able to convince Aaron Rodgers to put off retirement by hiring Nathaniel Hackett, a move that led Mike LaFleur to Los Angeles, and DeMeco Ryans brought ex-49ers assistant Bobby Slowik with him to Houston. Slowik’s performance in his first season calling plays could well open the Houston OC gig once again, as HC interest has come his way.

This would obviously be a major opportunity for Caley, who is the Pats’ first known OC interview during this cycle. With O’Brien leaving, the team will feature a different play-caller for a fourth straight season.

Patriots Promote DeMarcus Covington To DC

January 27th, 2024 at 2:21pm CST by Ben Levine

2:21pm: The Patriots have made it official, announcing that Covington will be promoted to the defensive coordinator position. Under the new head coach, Mayo, Covington will officially be the team’s first defensive coordinator since Matt Patricia left in 2017.

11:57am: It sounds like Jerod Mayo has zeroed in on his defensive coordinator. According to Albert Breer of SI.com, “all signs point” to the Patriots promoting defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator.

While the Patriots haven’t announced the move, Breer notes that the organization has notified other candidates that they’re out of the running. The move is expected to be made official early next week.

Covington has spent his entire NFL coaching career with the Patriots, working his way up from coaching assistant to defensive line coach, a role that he’s held for the past four seasons. Covington has helped with the development of former second-round pick Christian Barmore, and Matt Judon and Josh Uche have both had success on the edge under the coach’s tutelage.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes that Covington impressed during last year’s coordinator interviews, as the coach met about the DC jobs with the Cardinals and Chargers. It seemed like only a matter of time before he earned a coordinator job, and that opportunity has apparently come in New England.

The Patriots didn’t employ a traditional defensive coordinator during Bill Belichick‘s final seasons in New England, but Mayo and Steve Belichick were generally considered the leaders of the defensive coaching staff. Considering Mayo having been promoted to head coach and the younger Belichick’s uncertain future with the organization, the organization looked to fill the leadership void on their staff. Covington was one of four known candidates for the position, joining Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges, Panthers outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, and Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker.

Elsewhere in New England, the Patriots have added two offensive coordinator candidates to the mix. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the Patriots interviewed 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury for their offensive coordinator job. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds that former Bears OC Luke Getsy also interviewed for the position.

Fleury has spent the past five seasons in San Francisco, including the past two in his current role. With Fleury leading the tight ends, George Kittle hauled in a career-high 11 touchdowns in 2022. This past season, Kittle topped the 1,000-yards receiving mark for the first time since the 2020 campaign.

Getsy lost his job earlier this month despite guiding one of the league’s top rushing attacks over the past two seasons. Before his two-year stint in Chicago, Getsy spent three seasons with the Packers as their quarterbacks coach.

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