FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After a season that saw the New England Patriots plummet to the bottom of the league rankings in several key offensive categories, the club announced Thursday it will begin interviewing candidates to fill the offensive coordinator role next week.
This confirms that head coach Bill Belichick, entering his 24th season, is moving away from the structure he instituted in 2022, which has not named an official coordinator.
Matt Patricia and Joe Judge took leading roles on the offensive staff, with Patricia calling the plays of sophomore quarterback Mac Jones. Patricia’s official title was Senior Football Advisor/Offensive Line and the judge’s title was Offensive Assistant/Quarterbacks.
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The moves were viewed by many as unconventional, with Patricia’s primary background being as an NFL coach on defense and judges on special teams. Belichick had shared that he believed a good coach goes beyond any position, although he conceded after the team’s 8-9 season that better results were needed in all areas.
That was particularly the case on offense, where the Patriots took a significant dive in several key categories in 2021-2022 after Josh McDaniels departed to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Some of these areas included:
Red Zone Efficiency: 11th (39 TDs in 63 rides) to 32nd (19 TDs in 45 rides)
Third down: 10th (43.5%) to 27th (34.8%)
First descent: Tie 9th (362) to 28th (288)
Bags: 8th (28 for 241 yards) through 19th (41 for 279 yards)
Scored touchdowns: 48 to 31
With Belichick willing to interview offensive coordinator candidates, it opens up the possibility that Patricia and Judge — who have each won three Super Bowls as Patriots assistants and for whom Belichick has great respect — could fill other roles on the staff.
Former Patriots quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien (2009-2011), whose two-year contract as offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama is expiring, is one of several candidates Belichick is likely to consider.
In addition to the Patriots’ search for an offensive coordinator, the club also announced Thursday that it “has entered into contract renewal talks [inside linebackers coach] Jerod Mayo, that would keep him in the team for the long term.”
Mayo played eight seasons for the team (2008-2015) and just finished his fourth season as an assistant. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he has received interest from other teams for head coaching positions, most recently with a request for an interview with the Carolina Panthers.
The Cleveland Browns have also asked to interview Mayo this week for her position as defense coordinator, sources told Schefter.