Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton interviewed New England Patriots senior football advisor Matt Patricia for the team’s defensive coordinator position last week.
The Broncos ultimately decided to hire Vance Joseph instead, but Patricia made a good impression in Denver.
“[H]e was — he’s outstanding,” Payton said of his interview with Patricia. “I’ve known him for a long time. We practiced against the Patriots. I think he’s extremely talented. He’s a guy — I think they’ve won five Super Bowls while he was calling defenses. That was easy. I knew right away I wanted to interview Matt.”
Patricia didn’t get the DC job, but there’s been speculation that he might still be a candidate to join the team in some kind of senior advisor-type of role.
“That’s a fair question. I would say it’s a little early to answer that,” Payton said. “The question was, do I still possibly envision a role for Matt? We just got here [at the combine]. He and I are going to talk this week.
“I wouldn’t rule that out, though, if that were to possibly — if that possibly came to fruition, it would be for a few things. I’d certainly want to talk to Vance and our defensive coaches. I know Matt well enough to know how smart he is and what he can contribute. We’ll see.”
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