Cardinals request to interview Patriots passing game coordinator for head coach opening

The Arizona Cardinals have requested to interview New England Patriots tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, according to a report from NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. Arizona fired its previous head coach Jonathan Gannon on Monday after a 3-14 season and 15-36 record over three seasons.

Brown, 39, is in his first year with the Patriots. He was hired to his current job after having interviewed for the Patriots' offensive coordinator job earlier in the process. Brown was listed as a potential coaching candidate on NFL.com's annual list of up-and-coming coaches earlier this season.

Because the Patriots are in the playoffs, there are rules about when the Cardinals are allowed to speak with Brown. Virtual meetings of up to three hours are allow starting Jan. 13, the Tuesday after Wild Card weekend (it's one day later for the teams that play on Monday night).

In-person interviews cannot begin until January 19, after the conclusion of the divisional round. However that excludes coaches from teams playing on championship weekend, who can't meet with teams until Jan. 26.

According to reports, Brown is one of five coaches the Cardinals have requested to speak with as of Tuesday night. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak are also on the list.

Brown's coaching career began in 2011 at the college level. He spent nine years coaching in college before Sean McVay hired him as the Los Angeles Rams' running backs coach in 2020. The next year he had 'assistant head coach' added to his title, then a year after that went from coaching running backs to tight ends.

In 2023 Brown was hired as the offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers, lasting one year. Last season saw him gain significant experience - he began the year as the Chicago Bears' passing game coordinator, then was promoted to offensive coordinator before becoming the team's interim head coach for the final five games of the year, going 1-4.