Patriots reportedly rejected by Falcons special teams coordinator for similar job on their staff
Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams reportedly turned down an offer to be the Patriots' special teams coordinator.
It appears Jerod Mayo’s first move to try to add to his coaching staff didn’t work out.
Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams turned down the Patriots’ offer to be the team’s next special teams coordinator, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported. It turns out Williams is opting to stay with the Falcons, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported Saturday.
Williams was among the initial candidates to interview for the Patriots’ special teams coordinator job. He reportedly interviewed with the team last week after getting permission from the Falcons, who denied a similar request made by the Giants to interview Williams for their special teams coordinator vacancy.
The Falcons got Williams to remain in Atlanta just two days after they named Raheem Morris as their next head coach. Williams has been in Atlanta since the 2021 season, joining former head coach Arthur Smith in his first season on the job.
Williams’s decision to reject an offer to join the Patriots’ staff doesn’t appear to be the only difficulty Mayo has faced trying to fill out his staff so far, either. The Patriots’ offensive coordinator vacancy is “not highly coveted” by coaches around the league, The Athletic‘s Jeff Howe reported on the “Pats Interference” podcast.
Mayo is seeking to make hires at all three coordinator positions this offseason, interviewing defensive coordinator candidates as well. Williams was one of three known candidates for the special teams coordinator position. Mayo reportedly interviewed former Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey last week and Rams assistant special teams coach Jeremy Springer will interview for the job over the weekend, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported.
McGaughey, 50, was fired by the Giants earlier in January after six seasons on the job. Springer just completed his second season as the Rams’ assistant special teams coach. He coached at the collegiate level for eight seasons prior to joining the Rams.
The Patriots’ special teams unit has ranked among the worst under coordinator Cam Achord over the last couple of seasons. The unit ranked 32nd in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) in 2022 and 28th in DVOA in 2023.
Achord, who has been the Patriots’ special teams coordinator since 2020, was in a contract year in 2023, The Boston Herald‘s Andrew Callahan reported.
In addition to bringing Springer in for an interview, the Patriots are also bringing in their former tight ends coach and current Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley to interview for the offensive coordinator gig over the weekend, according to Rapoport. Meanwhile, defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington is reportedly viewed as the favorite to get the defensive coordinator job.
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