Who could be the Patriots' next offensive coordinator?
FOXBORO -- With Bill O'Brien departing New England to become the new offensive coordinator at Ohio State, Jerod Mayo has another hole to fill on his coaching staff. For the fourth straight season, the Patriots will have a new offensive coordinator.
But that was to be expected with a new head coach at the helm -- and considering how bad the New England offense looked last season. O'Brien was supposed to come in and fix Mac Jones and the rest of the offense, but instead the quarterback and the group regressed. Jones lost his job and the Patriots ended up averaging a league-worst 13.9 points per game.
So Mayo is now on the hunt for a new leader on offense, and whomever he brings in should have quite a bit of say under the defensive-minded head coach. Here are a few options for Mayo and the Patriots at offensive coordinator.
Zac Robinson
Robinson, 37, would come from the very enticing Sean McVay coaching tree, as he's served as Los Angeles' passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2022. He began his coaching career in 2019 as the assistant QBs coach for the Rams.
After his college career as a quarterback at Oklahoma State, Robinson was a seventh-round pick by the Patriots in 2010. He only spent a few months with the Patriots but did briefly overlap with Mayo in the locker room.
Robinson doesn't have experience calling plays, and he'd be a first-year coordinator under a first-year head coach. But if the Patriots are looking for a bright young mind from a very good offensive system, Robinson is a great candidate to run the offense.
UPDATE: The Patriots are set to interview Robinson on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. But he is a very popular man, with the Steelers and the Raiders also looking to interview Robinson.
Shane Waldron
Waldron also coached under McVay in Los Angeles, first as a tight ends coach in 2017 before working his way up to the team's pass game coordinator and QBs coach. He's been calling the offensive plays for the Seahawks the last three seasons as Seattle's offensive coordinator, and is coming off his best year after leading Geno Smith on a career resurgence and the Seahawks to a surprising playoff berth. His status in Seattle is up in the air after the team parted ways with head coach Pete Carroll, and he's garnered plenty of interest from other teams.
Waldron is no stranger to the Patriots, having served as an executive from 2002-04 before moving to the coaching realm. He was New England's offensive quality control coach in 2008 and the team's tight ends coach in 2009. Given all of his experience, he'd be a great addition to Mayo's staff.
UPDATE: It looks like Waldron is nearing a deal to become the OC of the Chicago Bears, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Wes Welker
Hey, another familiar name! Welker caught a ton of passes in a Patriots uniform, and has built up a solid coaching resume since retiring in 2015. He started as an offensive assistant in Houston and then served as the wide receivers coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 2019-21. He then followed Mike McDaniel to Miami, and has been the receivers coach of the Dolphins since 2022.
Keenan McCardell
The Patriots interviewed McCardell for their OC opening last season before hiring O'Brien. The former Pro Bowl receiver has been the Minnesota Vikings receivers coach since 2021, a role he previously held with the Jacksonville Jaguars and at the University of Maryland.
Tee Martin
Martin has been on the Baltimore Ravens staff since 2021, starting as the team's receivers coach (2021-22) before becoming the team's quarterbacks coach last season. Most of his coaching experience is from the college level, including a lengthy run at USC (2012-18, in which he served as the OC and receivers coach for the Trojans) and a stint as the assistant head coach at Tennessee.
A quarterback at Tennessee in college (where he served as Peyton Manning's backup for two years), Martin was drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft and is part of "The Brady Six," drafted 36 spots ahead of Tom Brady.
Nick Caley
Caley interviewed to be New England's offensive coordinator last season, and left to become the tight ends coach of the Rams after O'Brien got the job. Caley had been on the Patriots coaching staff since 2015, starting as an offensive assistant before taking over as tight ends coach in 2017.
UPDATE: Caley is set to interview with New England on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Chad O'Shea
Another former Patriots assistant, O'Shea was the team's wide receivers coach from 2009-18. He joined Brian Flores in Miami as the Dolphins offensive coordinator in 2019, but was fired after one season. He has been the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator of the Cleveland Browns since 2020.
Dan Pitcher
Pitcher, 37, has been with the Bengals since 2016, serving as an offensive assistant until 2018 before he was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach. He has been the team's QBs coach since 2020.
Josh McDaniels
McDaniels faltered again as a head coach in Las Vegas, but there is no denying that he's a pretty solid offensive coordinator. While, yes, most of his success came with Tom Brady at quarterback, McDaniels also got the most out of Cam Newton and was the OC for Mac Jones's best season.
While he wasn't successful as a head coach, he does have that experience that could help Mayo navigate through his first season. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, McDaniels is "at the top of the list" to be New England's next OC. While bringing back McDaniels wouldn't bring in a change from the Belichick era, it would give Mayo a reliable and experienced mind to lean on offensively.