Patriots Offensive Coordinator Candidates

With Bill O’Brien heading to Ohio State, the New England Patriots will need a new offensive coordinator in 2024. New England has already reached out for interviews with several candidates to become defensive or special teams coordinators. As of now, head coach Jerod Mayo is the only confirmed member of the Patriots coaching staff. Who will be given the reigns on the offensive side of the football? Here are some logical candidates.

Josh McDaniels

McDaniels had had two stints as offensive coordinator in New England already. Both were successful enough to land him head coaching jobs. However, McDaniels was fired by the Raiders mid-season in 2023. McDaniels was last with the New England Patriots in 2021, Mac Jones rookie season. It happened to be Jones’ most successful season in the NFL by far. He could either try to revive Jones’ career, mentor a new rookie QB, or both. There were recent rumors tying McDaniels to a return to Foxboro, but that came with the caveat that Bill Belichick would still be the head coach. It’s possible McDaniels ends up as Belichick’s OC in Atlanta, or wherever he ends up. Having somebody with a lot of experience, including as a head coach, could be valuable for a first time head coach in Jerod Mayo.

Shane Waldron

Like McDaniels, Waldron brings both experience as an offensive coordinator, and a relationship with the New England Patriots. He began his career as an intern/assistant in the Patriots front office from 2002-to-2004, and was a member of the coaching staff from 2008-to-2009 (Mayo’s first two seasons in the NFL). He joined the Los Angeles Rams in 2017. Shane Waldron worked with tight ends, quarterbacks, and was the pass game coordinator. He left in 2021 to become offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, Waldron helped revive the career of quarterback Geno Smith. With head coach Pete Carroll’s firing earlier this month, Waldron is now on the open market.

Zac Robinson

The Patriots selected Zac Robinson in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was part of the same draft class as Devin McCourty, Rob Gronkowski, Brandon Spikes, and Aaron Hernandez, but was waived by New England at the end of training camp. Zach Robinson began his coaching career in 2019, and has been with the Los Angeles Rams the past five years. Being part of the Sean McVay coaching tree seems to carry weight in job interviews these days, so that works to Robinson’s benefit. He has worked with quarterbacks and wide receivers, with his current title being pass game coordinator. Robinson took over Waldron’s role with the Rams when Waldron left for Seattle. Despite a relative lack of experience, Robinson could be a good fit to mentor a young offense in Foxboro.

Tee Martin

Despite no relationship with the New England Patriots organization, Tee Martin does have relationships with some of the people. Although he did not overlap with Jerod Mayo at the University of Tennessee, both are Volunteer legends. Martin led the team to the 1998 National Championship. After his playing career was over, Martin joined the coaching ranks. He has been coaching since 2006, though mostly in college. He was the wide receivers coach for USC when Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster played for the Trojans. Martin joined the Baltimore Ravens staff in 2021 as the wide receivers coach, before becoming quarterbacks coach in 2023. The Ravens finished with as the top seed in the AFC, and quarterback Lamar Jackson is the favorite to win NFL MVP. In addition, Jackson plays a similar dual–threat style to the Patriots potential first round pick, Jayden Daniels.

Wes Welker

Welker was incredible as a wide receiver for the New England Patriots from 2007 to 2012. He was twice named All-Pro and was selected to five Pro Bowls. Along with Logan Makings, he is arguably the best player of the Bill Belichick Era in New England not to win a Super Bowl. After his playing career was through, he’s worked on staffs for the Texans, 49ers, and Dolphins. He has been Miami’s wide receivers coach the past two seasons, helping to oversee some dominant play from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Wes Welker was a teammate of Jerod Mayo’s for five seasons in New England, so their personal relationship will likely play a role in how much consideration Welker receives for the position.

Kliff Kingsbury

There is a strong argument for Kliff Kingsbury to be much higher in these rankings, but the likelihood of him coming to New England feels remote. Currently the USC Trojans offeensive coordinator, Kingsbury has been linked to the Chicago Bears OC job, where he would stay with 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, the presumed number one pick. He will likely have several options available if he looks to return to the NFL, where he was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2022.

Eight Others to Consider

Eric Bienamy, Commanders Offensive Coordinator
Troy Brown, Patriots WR Coach
Nick Caley, Rams TE Coach
Shawn Jefferson, Falcons WR Coach
Klint Kubiak, 49ers Passing Game Coordinator
Keenan McCardell, Vikings WR Coach
Dan Pitcher, Begals QB Coach
Duce Staley, Panthers Assistant Head Coach