McAdoo joined the Patriots as a senior offensive assistant last year, but will reportedly be focusing on defense in 2025.
Mike Vrabel made some sweeping changes to the New England Patriots’ staff upon his arrival as head coach, but he also opted to retain a handful of assistants from the previous regime. Among them is Ben McAdoo, even though his role will be looking different in 2025.
According to a report from Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal, the Patriots are moving McAdoo to the defensive side of the ball this year.
The Pats are retaining Ben McAdoo for the upcoming season, one of the few holdovers from the previous regime (special teams coaches Jeremy Springer and Tom Quinn are the others). But the 47-year-old McAdoo will work on the defensive side of the ball — in a role yet to be determined — which as far I can have been able to ascertain, he’s never done in his collegiate or professional career
McAdoo first arrived in New England last offseason, joining first-year head coach Jerod Mayo’s staff as a senior offensive assistant. His role was a multi-faceted one: the 47-year-old had a hand in developing rookie quarterbacks Drake Maye and Joe Milton, and among his other duties helped with the third down offense on a week-to-week basis.
It remains to be seen what his new job entails, and what his title will be. Being moved to defense, however, will be a first in his 20-year NFL career.
McAdoo has coached exclusively on offense during his time in the pros, and also did not hold a defensive title as a high school and college coach in the 1990s and early 2000s. Now, the team is trying to find new ways to tap into his experience — which includes stints as head coach of the New York Giants and offensive coordinator in New York and Carolina — in order to take advantage of having him available as a resource.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss mentioned in a follow-up that “[o]ne possibility discussed is McAdoo’s offensive background be tapped to help the defense, highlighting areas he would attack as a playcaller to help fortify that unit.”