Patriots reportedly tab Rams assistants as first interviews for offensive coordinator vacancy
Jerod Mayo will interview a pair of Rams assistants with prior Patriots ties as he looks to replace Bill O'Brien.
The first known candidates for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator vacancy are a pair of coaches who have ties to the organization.
Former Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley will interview to become the team’s next offensive coordinator, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday. Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson will also interview for the job, Monday Morning Quarterback’s Albert Breer reported. Caley, who currently works as the Rams tight ends coach, is reportedly scheduled to speak with the Patriots on Monday, and Robinson will meet with the team Tuesday.
Caley, who will also celebrate his 41st birthday Monday, has spent the vast majority of his NFL coaching career with the Patriots. New England hired Caley during the 2015 offseason, making him an offensive assistant. After two seasons in the organization, Caley was promoted to tight ends coach, a role he held for six years. He also briefly served as their fullbacks coach during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
When Josh McDaniels left his post as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator during the 2022 offseason, Caley was speculated to be a top candidate for the job. However, the Patriots took an unorthodox approach instead to replace McDaniels, opting not to name an offensive coordinator but Matt Patricia their play caller and Joe Judge their quarterbacks coach.
Caley remained in New England for one more season after that. He opted to leave for the Rams during the 2023 offseason after his contract expired, with the Patriots also hiring Bill O’Brien to be their next offensive coordinator prior to his departure.
The Patriots interviewed Caley for their offensive coordinator vacancy last offseason. He also interviewed with the Jets and Texans for their offensive coordinator vacancies before heading to the Rams to work under Sean McVay.
When Caley was viewed as a possible candidate to replace McDaniels during the 2022 offseason, longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia explained to The Athletic‘s Jeff Howe why Caley could be a solid offensive coordinator.
“When you coach the tight ends, you’re coaching a position that transcends the entire offense,” Scarnecchia said at the time. “He’s involved in the passing game, so Nick has been in every passing-game meeting. And the run game, so he’s been in every run-game meeting. Nick has been in a lot of meetings, as has Joe Judge. They’ve got to get somebody who can mentor the quarterback. Somebody has to oversee the offense.”
The Rams’ tight ends unit had a relatively average season in the passing game. Tyler Higbee led the unit in receiving, recording 47 receptions for 495 yards and two touchdowns over 15 games. The Rams’ other tight ends combined for 15 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown.
McVay praised Caley for helping young tight ends Davis Allen and Hunter Long come along as run blockers in the middle of the season. It’s unclear how much of a role Caley had in the Rams’ running game, but if he did, the results were good. Second-year running back Kyren Williams was third in the league in rushing, putting up 1,144 rushing yards on 5.0 yards per carry despite missing five games.
Robinson, meanwhile, was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State. His tenure in New England ended after the preseason that year and he stopped playing after the 2013 season, working as a quarterback development coach and an analyst for Pro Football Focus.
The Rams hired Robinson in 2019. He’s mostly worked with the quarterbacks since his hiring, starting off as an assistant quarterbacks coach on McVay’s staff before briefly working as an assistant wide receivers coach in 2020. He returned to working with quarterbacks in 2021 and was promoted to quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator in 2022. McVay credited Robinson for helping Matthew Stafford acclimate into the team’s offensive system in 2021.
The Patriots’ offensive coordinator position became open when O’Brien was officially named Ohio State’s offensive coordinator on Friday. O’Brien’s return to New England didn’t go the way many had hoped. The Patriots ranked 30th in total offense and were tied for last in scoring. Additionally, Mac Jones continued to regress before he was benched for good in Week 12 en route to a 4-13 season, leading the team to part ways with Bill Belichick.
Offensive coordinator is just one of the few notable gigs new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is looking to fill in his first weeks on the job. The team has also requested to interview candidates for the defensive coordinator and special teams coach positions. So far, defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington is the only known in-house candidate for either of those roles. He’s reportedly scheduled to interview for the defensive coordinator role.
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