Patricia returning to Pats’ coaching staff

The Patriots are returning former defensive coordinator and Lions head coach Matt Patricia to their coaching staff, a source confirmed to the Herald.

Patricia’s title is not yet known, but it’s expected he will wear several hats to start his second stint in New England.

The Lions fired Patricia last November during his third season with the team. He was much-maligned in Detroit, where he went 13-29-1. Patricia previously served as the Pats’ defensive coordinator from 2012-17, when he coached in three Super Bowls and six AFC Championship games.

During that stretch, the Patriots on average ranked seventh in points allowed. In Detroit, Patricia’s defenses annually ranked among the NFL’s worst. The 46-year-old entered the NFL as a Patriots coaching assistant in 2004. During his rise to defensive coordinator, Patricia also coached the team’s linebackers and safeties.

After Patricia left to lead the Lions, current Dolphins head coach Brian Flores called defensive plays for the Pats in 2018, then outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick assumed most of those duties for the next two seasons. Belichick had been the Patriots’ most experienced defensive assistant. The Pats do not currently have a vacancy on their defensive staff, though inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo interviewed for the Eagles head-coaching job last week.

Former Lions assistant Evan Rothstein is coming with Patricia, after spending nine years in Detroit, mostly in the team’s analytics department. Last season, Rothstein called defensive plays for one game after the team’s coaching staff was hit hard by COVID-19, which sidelined then-interim head coach Darrell Bevell, who replaced Patricia.

The Boston Globe first reported news of Patricia’s return.