Bicknell was part of Jerod Mayo’s coaching staff in 2024.
Bob Bicknell, who coached the New England Patriots’ tight end group in 2024, has found a new home. As was announced by the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, Bicknell has joined their coaching staff as a senior offensive assistant.
Bicknell, 55, joined the Patriots last offseason. The move reunited him with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt after the two had been part of the Cincinnati Bengals’ staff in 2018 and 2019.
In New England, Bicknell coached a position group headlined by veterans Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper. The pair finished the season ranked first and third on the team with 66 and 45 receptions, respectively. Henry gained 674 yards and scored two touchdowns, while Hooper finished with 476 and three scores.
“He’s been fantastic. He’s been a fantastic add,” Henry said about Bicknell during the regular season. “He brings a lot of good energy. He’s coached in this league for a long, long time and coached a lot of good football players. And so he brings that level of expertise with a lot of good football players, that he’s able to rub off on us how he sees things.”
Despite the praise and the comparatively solid performance put forward by the tight ends in 2024, Bicknell was not part of the Patriots’ plans for the 2025 season. After head coach Jerod Mayo was replaced by Mike Vrabel, he was among the first assistant coaches leaving the team.
The Patriots’ tight ends, meanwhile, will be coached by Thomas Brown this season. A former offensive coordinator in Carolina and Chicago, Brown was hired as tight ends coach and passing game coordinator under Vrabel and new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
At the moment, New England has four tight ends signed for 2025: Hunter Henry is being joined on the current depth chart by Jaheim Bell, Jack Westover and Giovanni Ricci. Austin Hooper, on the other hand, is set to enter unrestricted free agency next month.