The Matt Patricia offensive play-calling nightmare could be on its last legs in the final stretch of the season. There’s hope that the New England Patriots will make serious changes with the role in 2023, and no name is being thrown around more than Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
The former NFL head coach and Patriots offensive coordinator would feel like a breath of fresh air with a hint of familiarity in New England.
Coach Bill Belichick prefers handing out job titles to coaches that have worked under him in the past, and O’Brien is a veteran offensive play-caller with years of experience in that role. That would mean no more wisecracks about a defensive coach calling the offensive plays.
“I think Billy’s interested. I do,” said Albert Breer, when appearing on NBC Sports Boston’s “The Next Pats” podcast. “I think he’s interested in coming back to the NFL. I think he’s interested in potentially coming back here. He’s got a relationship with Mac Jones. The other thing to remember is for the last two years he’s been separated from his family. …He’s from here. I believe his wife’s from here, too, so I believe there’s a lot of things here personally that I think would appeal to him.
“…I certainly think there’s a chance he could be back in 2023. I still think a lot of the heavy lifting is going to have to be done by Belichick and [Nick] Saban because I don’t think O’Brien is going to raise his hand and say, ‘Look at me over here! I want to go there. Please, please deliver me back to New England.’ I don’t think he’ll do that.”
There are still hurdles that need to be cleared, particularly with O’Brien’s future in Alabama.
The Patriots would then have to make the decision to move Patricia out of his current role and start the hiring process for an offensive coordinator, assuming they make it official and don’t just slap another “offensive assistant” placeholder in front of O’Brien’s name.
It’s obvious the Patriots need to make serious changes if they have any hopes of being relevant in the AFC East, much less the AFC in the years to come.
