Former New England assistant and current Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley is the first finalist for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator job, according to sources.

Caley is one of 11 reported candidates for the position, including five coaches who have accepted other jobs during the Patriots’ search. He was the first to interview with new head coach Jerod Mayo and earn a second, in-person interview in Foxboro. Ex-Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is the only other candidate reported to have traveled to New England for a sitdown.

The remaining known candidates for the job are 49ers offensive pass game specialist Klint Kubiak, 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury, Lions pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand and Raiders pass game coordinator Scott Turner. Sports Illustrated first reported the Patriots’ interest in Kubiak, whom they interviewed, and Turner, whom they planned to interview as of last weekend.

Caley joined the Patriots as a coaching assistant in 2015, then received a promotion two years later to tight ends coach. He remained in that job for six seasons and was passed over during the Patriots’ last offensive coordinator search last year, which prompted his move to Los Angeles.

Caley, 41, could also be in line for a promotion with the Rams, who recently lost pass game coordinator Zac Robinson to the Falcons.

Within the Patriots’ search, Caley is the only candidate with previous coaching experience in New England. If hired, he could meld elements of the Patriots’ old offense with the system he learned under Rams head coach Sean McVay. Several candidates who interviewed with Mayo have worked for McVay and/or coach a similar type of offense.

One of those candidates, Getsy, crossed paths with Caley in 2007, when the two worked as graduate assistants at Akron.  Getsy was reportedly scheduled to travel to New Orleans to interview for their offensive coordinator job on Wednesday.

It’s unclear how the Patriots’ offensive staff could take shape under Caley, who has never called plays or coached quarterbacks at the NFL level. Former offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien doubled as the team’s quarterbacks coach, and left the organization two weeks ago to take the same job at Ohio State. The Patriots hired O’Brien over Caley last offseason, when Caley also met with the Jets and Texans about their offensive coordinator vacancies.

Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Last season, Caley contributed to a surprise playoff run with the Rams. Caley also helped evolve the Rams’ offensive system under McVay, who hired multiple outside assistants to rejuvenate what had been a bottom-10 offense in 2022. This season, Los Angeles finished in the top 10 by points scored and the opponent-and-situation-adjusted metric DVOA.

Caley started his career as a college coach in 2005, jumping from his alma mater, John Carroll, to Akron, Auburn, Iowa State, Eastern Illinois, Arkansas and Florida Atlantic. He spent most of those seasons as a defensive coach, before flipping to the offensive side full-time in New England. With the Patriots, he coached players from veterans like Rob Gronkowski and Hunter Henry to 2020 third-round rookies Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene.

Caley and Mayo overlapped on the Patriots’ staff from 2019-2022, Caley’s final years in New England. Caley also worked alongside current Pats running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri, wide receivers coach Troy Brown and assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates. Offensive line coach Adrian Klemm, who missed most of last season after getting hospitalized for a serious medical issue, has never worked with Caley before.

Three of the Patriots’ earliest known candidates took offensive coordinator jobs elsewhere before Mayo extended invites for a second interview: ex-Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson (Atlanta), ex-Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron (Chicago) and ex-Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher (Cincinnati). They were seen as three of the top coaches on the market. Caley did not have another known interview for an offensive coordinator job this cycle.

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Mayo opened the process with hour-long interviews over video conference, per sources, then welcomed Caley for a two-day, in-person process that started last Sunday, per Sports Illustrated. Rams assistant special teams coach Jeremy Springer joined him on the flight from Los Angeles and reached terms to join the Patriots’ staff on Wednesday, a source confirmed to the Herald.

In New England, Caley would inherit one of the least talented offensive rosters in the league. The Patriots averaged 12.9 offensive points per game last season, when starting quarterback Mac Jones was benched four times and did not play in the team’s last six games. The Patriots do not have a tight end under contract, and their starting offensive tackles are both set to hit free agency.

It’s expected the Pats will add a quarterback sometime this offseason, either in free agency — when they’re scheduled to hold the fourth-most cap space in the NFL — or the draft, where they own the No. 3 overall pick. Mayo has also identified wide receiver and offensive tackle as top needs.