Bill O’Brien reportedly leaving Patriots to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator
The Patriots will have a new offensive coordinator in 2024.
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Bill O’Brien is set to leave New England and become the new offensive coordinator at Ohio State, according to an ESPN report late Thursday night. Under O’Brien, the Patriots averaged 13.9 points per game last season, second-worst in the league. O’Brien also served as the quarterbacks coach and oversaw Mac Jones’ fall from third-year starting quarterback to getting benched for the final six games of the season.
O’Brien was expected to fix an offense that fell apart under former lead offensive coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in 2022, but instead fell further under his watch. His offensive staff also dealt with significant dysfunction, while losing one assistant to another job and first-year offensive line coach Adrian Klemm to a medical issue that sidelined him for the last two months of the season.
O’Brien departs as new head coach Jerod Mayo attempts to rebuild the Patriots’ coaching staff in his first year. At his introductory press conference, Mayo declined to say whether he would open an offensive coordinator search after reportedly initiating searches for a new defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator.
“Everything’s still under consideration,” Mayo said. “Obviously the staff that I’ve been working with isn’t the staff that I have chosen. Everything is under evaluation. I would say with all of my coaches, the number one thing is developing people.”
Mayo also side-stepped a question about his vision for the Patriots offense moving forward. The team is expected to add a new quarterback this offseason and has several key players — wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, tight end Hunter Henry and offensive tackles Trent Brown and Mike Onwneu — hitting free agency.
“First of all, I would say just the energy, right? The passion, the leaders on the offensive side of the ball,” Mayo began. “I think you have to get that stuff in place first.”
O’Brien returned to New England after a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator at Alabama. He joined the Crimson Tide after serving as the Texans’ head coach from 2014-2020 and two years as the head coach at Penn State from 2012-13.