Patriots Options At Offensive Coordinator

By: Steve Atkinson

The Patriots need an offensive coordinator for the 2022 season. They also need a defensive coordinator as well. But we will focus on the offensive side in this article. With Josh McDaniels now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, rumors are swirling that Bill O’Brien will be the next offensive coordinator for the Patriots. He is currently at Alabama as the offensive coordinator there and knows Mac Jones. Jones, showed O’Brien the playbook last year at Alabama as O’Brien took the job. The question is would he be a good fit for Mac Jones?

Is Bill O’Brien The Answer At Offensive Coordinator?

My answer is yes. The Alabama offense is similar to what the Patriots run and O’Brien has been here before with Tom Brady. He left the Patriots in 2012 to be the head coach at Penn State, then went on to be the head coach of the Houston Texans. He was fired in 2020 from the Texans then went to Alabama to coach alongside Nick Saban. Saban spoke on Wednesday saying he doesn’t see O’Brien leaving Alabama anytime soon.

“I think he likes it at Alabama, and we have an opportunity with some pretty good players at the quarterback position and other positions to maybe continue to grow and develop here offensively. I think he’s looking forward to that challenge. I’ve always been one that [if] guys work hard and do a good job for you, if they get opportunities to go someplace else I want to support them and help them if it benefits them and their families,” he said. “We have no indication of that other than what y’all put on the internet right now which is a lot of maybes. We’re not really trying to address something that might happen.”

Obviously, Saban isn’t going to say that there is interest from the Patriots in O’Brien but according to Ian Rappaport there is. O’Brien seems to be more of a hot head though and got into yelling matches with Brady at times on the sideline. Not saying that won’t happen with Jones as it would just be his second year in the league. You want Jones to feel comfortable with his offensive coach who’s calling the plays and really O’Brien seems to fit that mold.

How About Former Patriots Assistant Chad O’Shea?

One other name to keep an eye on is Chad O’Shea who was the wide receivers coach for the Patriots from 2009-2018. He then was the offensive coordinator in Miami for one season under Brian Flores and now has been in Cleveland the last two years. He would make sense because he also knows the Patriots offense. He hasn’t worked with Mac Jones but Jones seems to have a good grasp on the offense, and I think he would adjust to O’Shea well since he’s been here before.

Maybe Brian Hoyer?

This next one may be a pipe dream but Brian Hoyer. He has been with the Patriots as the backup quarterback for a long time. He also just spent a year with Mac Jones as his back up. Hoyer has showed him the ropes of the offense from a player’s standpoint and I think would be a perfect fit for an offensive coordinator role with the team. Jones seems to get along with Hoyer and Hoyer is respected by Belichick and Kraft. Hoyer also seems to like coaching and liked showing Jones what it’s like being in the NFL coming from college. Like I said it probably won’t happen but something to keep an eye on. As Greg Bedard once said on Felger and Mazz on 985 The Sports Hub. “I wouldn’t sleep on Brian Hoyer.”