![CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 21: Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt of the Cleveland Browns during the second quarter of a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 21, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)](https://985thesportshub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2024/02/GettyImages-1416624171-1-1.jpg)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 21: Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt of the Cleveland Browns during the second quarter of a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 21, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
On Thursday evening the New England Patriots made their much-awaited offensive coordinator hire bringing in Alex Van Pelt. Van Pelt will be the Patriots’ fourth offensive coordinator in the last four years after Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia (unofficially), and Bill O’Brien.
In some ways, the Van Pelt hire comes out of nowhere. 11 different coaches were reported to have interviewed with the Patriots for the offensive coordinator job, and Van Pelt was not among them.
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Instead, it appears the Patriots’ pursuit of Van Pelt happened quickly. According to Andrew Callahan of The Boston Herald the Patriots didn’t have their first interview with Van Pelt until Wednesday night, then spoke with him again on Thursday before making the hire official.
Given he wasn’t a part of the Patriots’ initial hiring process, there wasn’t much – if any – coverage about him as a candidate or fit in New England. On top of that, his profile skews away from that of most of the coaches they interviewed. He’s older (he’ll turn 54 in May), more experienced with multiple stints as an offensive coordinator, has worked extensively with quarterbacks, and isn’t from a Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan tree.
That all being said, what boxes does he check, and what further questions are raised? Let’s take a look…