Patriots have yet another offensive coordinator interview
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 10: Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy of the Chicago Bears looks on during the first quarter in the game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on December 10, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Patriots’ list of offensive coordinator candidates is both growing and shrinking at the same time.
The team is set to interview yet another new coordinator option, and this time it’s someone with actual coordinating experience. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Pats are planning to interview former Chicago Bears OC Luke Getsy for their opening.
MORE: Patriots interview star quarterbacks coach for offensive coordinator
Getsy played quarterback in college at Akron, and briefly spent time with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He broke into the NFL as a coach with the Packers under Matt LaFleur, working his way up from receivers coach to quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, before becoming the offensive coordinator of the Bears.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 13: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears talks with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy prior to a preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field on August 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Getsy recently interviewed with the Las Vegas Raiders for their own offensive coordinator opening. The Bears fired Getsy after the end of the regular season, as part of a total reset on the offensive coaching staff. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus cited a lack of growth and development on the offense as reasons for cleaning house.
While the Patriots continue to interview new offensive coordinator candidates, the list is also getting smaller. Zac Robinson, who recently interviewed in New England, recently became the new offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons. Additionally, Dan Pitcher stayed with the Bengals to become their new OC and Shane Waldron replaced Getsy in Chicago.
Other candidates who recently interviewed with the Patriots that remain available are Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley, Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury, and Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand.
Getsy may not seem like an ideal candidate, since he’s coming off a firing for a lack of success in Chicago. But he does have a lot more experience than the other candidates, who are relative unknowns when it comes to being thrust into the Patriots offensive coordinator role.
Read below for more options and what they’d bring to the Patriots.
Names to know for the Patriots offensive coordinator job search
L-R: Former Patriots offensive coordinator and Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, Minnesota Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell, Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach, and former Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich. (Credit L-R, Gary A. Vasquez, Bob Self, Kirby Lee, and Denny Simmons, via USA Today Network)
In a surprising move reported on Thursday night, Bill O’Brien is leaving the New England Patriots to join the coaching staff at Ohio State as the Buckeyes’ new offensive coordinator. Just like that, the Patriots are now officially in need of a new offensive coordinator.
Now, the Patriots are beginning their third offensive coordinator search in as many years. The job had been stable for a long time in New England, with Josh McDaniels holding it form 2012 to 2021 (after first doing so from 2005 to 2008). In total only three people ever held the title in New England in the Belichick era – McDaniels, O’Brien and Charlie Weis (from 2000-2004).
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After McDaniels departed to take the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job following the 2021 season, the Patriots struggled to replace him. Matt Patricia didn’t get the title in 2022 but held offensive play-calling duties, and the offensive production dropped to 18.1 points per game when taking out the team’s league-high eight non-offensive touchdowns.
Last year the Patriots turned to O’Brien to fix the offense, and gave him the offensive coordinator title. However the offensive was even less productive under him, ranking 31st in scoring averaging 13.9 points per game while failing to crack the 30-point mark at all during the season.
That brings us to now. The Patriots need to find their fourth offensive play-caller in four years. This time though there’s a new hiring structure in place led by first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.
Publicly Mayo’s offensive preferences and tendencies are unknown, making narrowing down potential candidates tough. Even in terms of background, the Patriots can be focused in one of two directions – either a young first-time OC who is an unknown but could innovate the offense, or an experienced coach (perhaps even with head coaching ability) who can be a ‘head coach of the offense’ and put less on the plate of a first-time head coach with a defensive background in Mayo.
With that we’ll cast a wide net of names to know, first looking at potential Patriots-connected coaches, other big names available, and then some long-shots.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.