Potential offensive coordinator candidates for New England Patriots
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots have a new head coach in Mike Vrabel, and now he needs to find an offensive coordinator to continue the development of quarterback Drake Maye. The good news is that Vrabel should have plenty of suitable candidates to pick from.
Unlike last season when Jerod Mayo went through a dozen candidates before Alex Van Pelt signed on for the job, Vrabel will have plenty of candidates hoping to land the gig. Last year, the Patriots were a great unknown with a first-year head coach in Mayo and no set plan for the rookie Maye. But Vrabel brings stability to the head-coaching spot in New England, and Maye's impressive rookie campaign should have offensive coordinators eager to work with the 22-year-old.
While Van Pelt remains employed, that is likely going to change. Vrabel said earlier this week that the team has a long list of candidates for OC, and the interview process should begin shortly.
Tommy Rees, who worked with Vrabel on the Browns last season, had been mentioned as a potential candidate after Vrabel took the job in New England. But Kevin Stefanski promoted Rees to offensive coordinator to keep him in Cleveland and away from other teams.
Here's a list of potential candidates that could take over at offensive coordinator in New England.
Josh McDaniels
If McDaniels returns to New England, it would be his third stint with the Patriots. He spent 18 years with the franchise over his first two stints, and crossed paths with Vrabel when he was a player and McDaniels was an offensive coach.
Most of McDaniels' success in New England is tied to Tom Brady and he failed badly in his two head-coaching ventures. But make no mistake about it: Josh McDaniels is an excellent offensive coordinator and he works wonders for quarterbacks. He deserves credit for getting the most out of Matt Cassel in 2008 and for his work with a Mac Jones in 2021, when the rookie QB threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Things went off the rails for Jones after McDaniels departed for Las Vegas, but that wouldn't be a concern this time around. McDaniels is unlikely to get another head-coaching opportunity, so he wouldn't be a threat to leave Maye after just a year or two.
Vrabel told WEEI earlier this week that McDaniels is on the team's "long list" of candidates for offensive coordinator. Some fans would see bringing him back as a retread, but McDaniels has a lot of familiarity with the organization and would do great work with Maye as he enters an extremely important year in his development.
Nick Caley
The Patriots made a run at Caley last offseason, but he chose to remain in Los Angeles with Sean McVay as the pass-game coordinator of the Rams. Maybe the 41-year-old would reconsider a return to New England with Vrabel now in charge.
Caley's first NFL gig was with the Patriots as an offensive assistant in 2015, and he remained with the Patriots through 2022 with stints as the team's tight ends coach and fullbacks coach.
He's been on McVay's staff the last two years, and the Rams averaged 227.5 passing yards per game last season (ranking 10th in the NFL) despite receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua missing time with injuries.
Josh McCown
McCown, 45, is interviewing for the Jets head-coaching job and is viewed as a future head coach in the NFL. While an OC position is likely the next step for the Vikings quarterbacks coach, ESPN's Adam Schefter said Friday during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that McCown won't leave Minnesota unless it's for a head-coaching job.
So that should take McCown off the list, but we'll keep him here because of the former quarterback's connection with Maye, whom he's worked with in the past. McCown worked with Maye when the two were at Myers Park High School, and was an assistant when the quarterback threw for over 3,500 yards and 50 touchdowns as a junior.
McCown started his coaching career as the QBs coach for the Carolina Panthers in 2023, following a 16-year playing career from 2002-19.
Todd Downing
Downing, 44, was the pass-game coordinator and QBs coach of the New York Jets last season, and has worked for seven different NFL teams since his coaching career started in 2005. He has experience working with Vrabel, serving as the tight ends coach of the Titans from 2019-20 before taking over as Tennessee's offensive coordinator from 2021-22.
Tim Kelly
Kelly also worked under Vrabel, serving as the Titans offensive coordinator in 2023. The two were also on Bill O'Brien's staff in Houston together from 2014-17.
Kelly worked as the tight ends coach of the New York Giants last season. The 38-year-old has experience as an offensive coordinator, leading the Houston offense from 2019-21. He was also the Texans QB coach in 2020.
Charles London
Another former Titans coach under Vrabel, London was the pass-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Tennessee for Vrabel's final season in 2023. The 49-year-old was the quarterbacks coach of the Seattle Seahawks in 2024. London was also on O'Brien's staff in Houston from 2014-17 with Vrabel.
John Streicher
Streicher was a game management assistant on the Rams staff in 2024, but spent six seasons on Vrabel's staff in Tennessee in a number of roles from 2018-23. He started as an assistant to the head coach from 2018-19, was promoted to football development coordinator from 2020-22, and then was the team's director of football administration in 2023.
He may be a longshot for OC, but we could see Streicher join Vrabel's staff in some capacity this offseason.
