Yet another head coaching vacancy around the NFL is on the verge of being filled. Fresh off his New England Patriots dominating Tennessee on Saturday night, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will soon be calling Detroit home.
According to Albert Breer of MMQB, the Lions have informed other coaching candidates that they have been eliminated from the search — setting the stage for Detroit to hire Patricia once the Patriots’ season comes to a conclusion.
Per sources, Lions have informed other candidates they’ve been eliminated from the search, moving forward with the expectation Matt Patricia will be their head coach when the Patriots season ends. So that job is officially off the board.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 15, 2018
In no way should this be considered a surprise. Patricia has been seen as the favorite to replace the recently fired Jim Caldwell in Detroit. This just makes it a bit more official.
The Lions can’t officially name Patricia as the new head coach until after New England either plays in the Super Bowl or loses to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game next weekend.
Patricia, 43, has been on the Patriots’ staff for the past 14 seasons. He started out as an offensive assistant back in 2004 before being promoted to a position coach role the following season. Patricia has served as the team’s defensive coordinator since 2012.