The New England Patriots announced last week that they were beginning the search for a permanent offensive coordinator.
According to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston, Bill Belichick has one name in particular in mind, and it’s a familiar one for Patriots fans.
Curran says that Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who was a Patriots assistant from 2007-11, is the “primary target” for the position.
“There is unanimity on all sides that O’Brien’s the best person for the job and — while there are other candidates with merit — the familiarity ownership and Mac Jones have with O’Brien and O’Brien’s willingness to return mean it would be an upset if he doesn’t get the job,” Curran wrote.
O’Brien did not actually coach Jones, who left Alabama after the 2020 season, but it stands to reason he knows a lot about him from his time in Tuscaloosa. Prior to his two seasons with the Crimson Tide, O’Brien served as head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 through the first four games of 2020.
He went 52-48 in Houston, leading the team to four AFC South titles but only two playoff wins in six tries. O’Brien previously went 15-9 as the head coach of Penn State in 2012-13.
In his five seasons with the Patriots more than a decade ago, O’Brien started as an offensive analyst, working his way up to wide receivers and later quarterbacks coach before serving as the offensive coordinator in 2011.