Matt Patricia is out as the Patriots offensive coordinator. Technically, he was never in.
Still, with Bill O’Brien officially returning as the offensive coordinator in both title and duties, Patricia doesn’t really have a job within the Patriots organization. So what happens next for him?
He landed in the position as, technically, senior football advisor/offensive line coach, a year after being a jack of all trades for coach Bill Belichick. That happened in part because, as one source explained it to PFT, there was no job available for Patricia on the defensive coaching staff.
Some have speculated that the Patriots never gave Patricia the title of offensive coordinator in order to justify paying him less, given that his buyout from the Lions ran through 2022. With Patricia getting his pay from his former head-coaching job minus earnings elsewhere, the less the Patriots pay him, the more he gets from Detroit.
He could potentially return to his 2021 role with the Patriots, when he did a little bit of everything for the team. He could leave for a job with another team.
He clearly has something to offer on the defensive side of the ball. Teams currently looking for coordinators would be wise to consider him. And if, for example, former Patriots assistant Brian Flores ends up as head coach of the Cardinals, maybe Flores would want Patricia to run the Arizona defense.
The same mindset applies to Joe Judge. The former Patriots special-teams coordinator and Giants head coach served as the quarterbacks coach in New England during the 2022 season. That development surprised people both inside and outside the organization.
If O’Brien wants his own quarterbacks coach, there quite possibly will be no spot for Judge. Unless he wants to get involved with special teams, again.
Regardless of how it plays out, O’Brien’s return supplants Patricia and Judge as the top two offensive minds in New England. Which, based on what happened in 2022, could make the offense considerably better in 2023.