Reports Indicate Bill O’Brien Could Return To Patriots

The Alabama offensive coordinator is thought to be looking to return to the NFL for next season.

Christopher Walsh | Dec 25, 2022

Reports Indicate Bill O’Brien Could Return To Patriots /

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Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is believed to be looking to return to the National Football League next season, and may be eying a familiar destination.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, O’Brien is a “strong option to return” to the New England Patriots in 2023.

If he were to return, it’s expected that he would assume the same offensive coordinator role with the Patriots, which he previously held in 2011, or a similar role.

That would make him the primary coach of Mac Jones.

O’Brien has worked under Nick Saban as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator for two years, during which Bryce Young won the 2021 Heisman Trophy.

However, Saban has said that the Crimson Tide will go back to more of a run-pass option offense next season after being more pro-set for Young.

O’Brien is in the final year of a two-year contract with Alabama. His name was mentioned in regard to numerous college head coaching jobs over the past couple of months.

Nevertheless, O’Brien will call the plays for the Crimson Tide against Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve, which is expected to be Young's final collegiate game.

O’Brien, the former Texans and Penn State head coach, had his first stint in the NFL with New England, beginning in 2007.

When on the staff in a variety of offensive assistant roles from 2007-11. O’Brien was a part of the Patriots offense that led the league with 30.7 points per game and ranked second with 393.1 total yards per game.

Since his departure, New England is averaging three fewer points per game.

The Patriots offense has sputtered once again in 2022, leading to some public displays of frustration from Jones and others.

Under the leadership of Bill Belichick and play-caller Matt Patricia, New England ranks 17th in the league in points per game (21.4) and 25th in yards per contest (319.5).

Belichick has downplayed the need for sweeping adjustments, saying in an interview with WEEI on Dec. 5, “I think we need to do what we’re doing better. I don’t think at this point making a lot of dramatic changes … it’s too hard to do that.”

However, following Saturday’s loss to the Bengals the Patriots are 7–8 and out of the AFC playoff picture.

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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