Report: Nobody Really Knows Where Patriots Currently Stand On Bill O'Brien
BOSTON (CBS) -- The focus on the Patriots early this offseason has been more on the coaching staff than the roster. That may remain the case for a while.
A new report paints a picture of a whole lot of uncertainty regarding the potential for mutual interest between the Patriots and Bill O'Brien with regard to the open offensive coordinator position.
The Athletic's Jeff Howe wrote on Friday that the Patriots have had "at least some level of interest" in reuniting with O'Brien, who ran the team's offense from 2009-11. However, "it's unclear if the Alabama offensive coordinator is still in the mix for the same role with New England."
Citing sources close to the situation, Howe said "there were points when it seemed like O'Brien would indeed replace [Josh] McDaniels and other points when it seemed as though that ship had sailed. And within days, those opinions changed again. The reasons for any apparent disconnect were not revealed."
A former Patriots staffer told Howe, "It's hard to know what Bill [Belichick] is doing right now."
O'Brien was an obvious choice to be considered for the job, given his history working under Belichick and his skills as an offensive coach. Yet whether it's been O'Brien's potential head coaching aspirations, or the potential for Belichick to not want to poach a coach from his close friend, Nick Saban, the reunion has yet to happen. And it's not clear if it will at all.
The Patriots lost McDaniels (offensive coordinator), Mick Lombardi (wide receivers), Carmen Bricillo (offensive line) and Bo Hardegree (quarterbacks) from their offensive coaching staff this offseason, with all of them going to the Raiders. If the team doesn't hire an outside coach like O'Brien, it seems like Matt Patricia and the recently re-hired Joe Judge will play a prominent role in running the offense, along with Nick Caley and Troy Brown.
