Pats not alone in search for right OC
BOSTON — The NFL head coaching market was never going to maintain the pace of the last couple of years, when 10 head coaches were hired in 2022 and seven in 2021. This year, only five teams have made a change at the top.
But while several head coaches kept their jobs — Brandon Staley, Dennis Allen, Josh McDaniels, Kevin Stefanski, Mike McCarthy, Ron Rivera, and Sean McVay — most of their teams had to find a scapegoat. As of Friday, eight teams had fired their offensive coordinator, and five teams their defensive coordinator.
The Patriots are one of 13 teams — yes, 13 — looking for an offensive coordinator. The eight teams looking for just an offensive coordinator are the Rams, Patriots, Jets, Commanders, Ravens, Chargers, Buccaneers, and Titans. The five teams that need a head coach (Cardinals, Panthers, Colts, Texans, and Broncos) also need offensive coordinators.
The Chargers are arguably the most attractive job because of the opportunity to coach Justin Herbert. But the Chargers are also in a tricky spot. If whomever they hire fixes the offense and gets more out of Herbert, he will almost certainly be hired away as a head coach, leaving the Chargers with another void to fill.
The Ravens job is second because of the expected presence of Lamar Jackson, though some coaches may be scared away by having to coach a non-traditional quarterback.
The Patriots job looks decent for a coach looking to prove himself. But with a questionable quarterback (Mac Jones), mediocre talent on offense, a coach who gets all of the credit (Bill Belichick), and an organization that isn’t known for paying top dollar for coaches, the Patriots’ opening has some pock marks.
This year could be the first time in Belichick’s 23 offseasons that he is hiring an outside coach to be his offensive coordinator. He can’t just hire anyone at the snap of the fingers. The Patriots have to follow the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview two external candidates who are a minority or female.
Of the Patriots’ five known candidates, three would satisfy this criterion — Oregon associate head coach Adrian Klemm, Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell, and Cardinals receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. The other candidates so far are Bill O’Brien and current Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley. Last year, the Patriots circumvented the Rooney Rule when they didn’t officially name
Matt Patricia the offensive coordinator.
All five candidates this year have ties to Belichick as his former players or coaches. None other than Caley (Jets) has been requested to interview for another offensive coordinator opening.
But there are so many more coaching questions outside of Foxborough.
The biggest name in this cycle is Sean Payton, and a league source said this past week that if the Chargers job didn’t come out, Payton would be most interested in the Panthers and Texans jobs — teams that can afford his $20 million-per-year demand, can give him power over the football organization, and have a blank slate at quarterback. The Texans are arguably the most attractive, with a boatload of cap space and picks Nos. 2, 12, 34, 66, and 74 in this year’s draft (though a few would have to be traded to the Saints in order to get Payton). Payton could handpick his quarterback in the draft, and would probably nudge Nick Caserio out of the way in a year or two.
The Panthers would probably have to give up a bit extra in a trade for Payton since they are in the same division as the Saints, but that’s an easy call to get the coach they want. It appears plausible that Payton could be a package deal with Tom Brady in Carolina.
Payton interviewed with the Broncos this past week, but the fact that Russell Wilson had to call Payton and sell him on coming to Denver probably speaks to Payton’s hesitation.
Names seen a lot of over the past week — Ejiro Evero and DeMeco Ryans. Evero, the Broncos’ defensive coordinator, and Ryans, the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, were requested to interview by all five teams with a head coaching vacancy. The Broncos had the No. 7 defense this season, Evero’s first as a coordinator, while the 49ers finished No. 1 in points and yards this year under Ryans.
The Buccaneers suffered bad injury luck this season, but no offense led by Brady should finish 25th in points, so it was no surprise to see offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and a bunch of coaches get the heave-ho on Thursday. The Buccaneers also had one of the most bloated staffs in the NFL, with five assistants with “coordinator” in their title, and 30 coaches on the payroll, compared with 20 for the Patriots.
The Buccaneers have proven that they will do whatever it takes to keep Brady happy, and will likely take another run at him this offseason. Firing most of the staff could be viewed as telling Brady they’ll even let him pick the coaches.
But if that were the case, the Buccaneers perhaps would have fired head coach Todd Bowles, and made a run at Payton. The Buccaneers may just be moving on from the Brady era, and giving Bowles a chance to pick his own staff instead of inheriting Bruce Arians’s coaches.