The New England Patriots announced Thursday that they will begin interviewing candidates for their offensive coordinator position next week.
The Patriots spent 2022 without a formal OC. Bill Belichick entrusted Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to share the duties of a typical OC.
Patricia — whose coaching background was largely on defense — was the play-caller and held the title of senior football adviser/offensive line. Judge, a year after losing his job as head coach of the New York Giants, was offensive assistant/quarterbacks.
That structure didn’t yield desirable results. The Patriots finished 26th in the NFL in total offense (314.6 yards per game), 17th in scoring offense (21.4 points per game), 20th in passing offense (208 ypg) and 24th in rushing offense (106.6 ypg).
Quarterback Mac Jones briefly lost his starting job to Bailey Zappe amid a sophomore slump. The Patriots finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.
New England’s news release did not indicate whether Patricia and Judge would remain on the coaching staff in their previous roles, fill new ones or leave the team.
The Patriots also said that they have entered contract extension negotiations with inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo. The Carolina Panthers requested an interview with Mayo for their vacant head-coaching job and the Cleveland Browns requested to interview him for their defensive coordinator job, ESPN and NFL Network reported.
–Field Level Media