Report: Matt Patricia 'early favorite' to earn Patriots' play-calling responsibilities

BOSTON -- The Patriots will hold their mandatory minicamp this week in Foxboro, an indication that the 2022 season will be here sooner than later. And yet, the Patriots still haven't named an offensive coordinator.

That particular responsibility has been the subject of intrigue and skepticism for most of the offseason, ever since Josh McDaniels left to become the head coach of the Raiders. But a new report suggests that Matt Patricia could land play-calling duties for the upcoming season.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Bill Belichick "has not yet decided" on who will be calling offensive plays next season, "but it's trending in Patricia's direction."

"Patricia and [Joe] Judge are each preparing for the possibility of calling plays, but Patricia's workload this spring has suggested he's the early favorite to handle that responsibility," Howe wrote.

To this point, Belichick has kept his thought process on the matter private, indicating two weeks ago that the team won't need a play-caller for several months. There may still be quite the delay until Belichick does formally announce an offensive play-caller ... if he even does that at all. With the defense being a cooperative effort between Steve Belichick and Jerod Mayo, it's not unreasonable to believe a similar setup could be at play for the offense.

Still, Steve Belichick is considered the top member of the defensive staff in that regard, and as of now, it looks as though Patricia could be in line to be in a similar spot on the other side of the football.