Getty Image / Kevin C Cox
The New England Patriots decided to do things a little bit differently this season.
Instead of bringing in an offensive coordinator to replace Josh McDaniels, they turned to a defensive coordinator and a special teams coordinator to run the offense.
It hasn’t worked very well.
The Patriots’ offense has been a major disappointment throughout the year and Mac Jones has gone through major regression. The 2nd year quarterback also hasn’t been shy about showing his frustration with the situation on the sideline.
Now it looks like the Patriots are ready to try and remedy the situation.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Bill O’Brien is a strong candidate to join the Patriots for the 2023 season.
Could an old friend be the answer for the #Patriots in 2023? #Bama OC Bill O'Brien is emerging as a potential candidate to return to New England next season.
My story: https://t.co/ToQmaxfJ0j
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 24, 2022
This would be O’Brien’s 2nd stint with the Patriots. He joined for the first time in 2007 as an offensive assistant and worked his way up in the organization until he eventually became their offensive coordinator.
Many football fans likely associate O’Brien with the disastrous ending to his tenure as the head coach of the Houston Texans. After a successful first 6 years in charge of the team that saw them win the AFC South 4 times, O’Brien became the team’s GM and things quickly went south.
O’Brien was the subject of a ton of scrutiny after he traded DeAndre Hopkins for a 2nd round pick and David Johnson, who appeared to already be declining.
The Texans started the next season 0-4 and O’Brien was fired.
O’Brien has spent the last 2 seasons as the offensive coordinator at Alabama, helping them reach the national title game last year and putting together another strong season this year.
O’Brien’s familiarity with Bill Belichick and plenty of high-level coaching experience could make him just what the Patriots need to fix Mac Jones and their offense.