Patriots Staff Search: Ex-Offensive Lineman Back to Coach New England?

Oregon offenisve assistant coach, and former Patriot, Adrian Klemm appears to be on the team’s short list of offenisve line coaching candidates.

FOXBORO — With their offensive coordinator search having come full circle, the New England Patriots are now turning their attention to another vacancy on their coaching staff. 

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, “another meeting is anticipated” between the Patriots and current University of Oregon assistant coach Adrian Klemm. He conducted a virtual interview with the team last week for their then-vacant coordinator position. However, the Patriots opted for hiring former Alabama offensive coach Bill O’Brien. 

Still, the Pats were quite impressed with Klemm, particularly with the prowess he showed in coordinating Oregon’s run blocking schemes during his time on the Ducks staff — apparently to the point of interviewing him for a second time for their offensive line coaching position. 

Last season, the role was held by Matt Patricia, with Billy Yates serving as assistant offensive line coach.

The 45-year-old is quite familiar with the Patriots organization. Having played his college football at the University of Hawaii, Klemm was selected by the team in the second round (46th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft. As such, he will forever hold the distinction of becoming the organization’s first draft pick under head coach Bill Belichick.

Klemm spent five years with the Patriots from 2000-2004, appearing in 26 contests with 10 starts. Though he was a member of three Super Bowl championship teams (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) during his time in New England, his tenure was largely devoid of any standout individual performances. He played his final NFL season for the Green Bay Packers in 2005, appearing in 16 games and making eight starts.

In 2008, Klemm transitioned from the gridiron to the coaching sidelines. He spent three years at SMU, first as a graduate assistant, before taking on the duties as offensive line coach from 2009-11. He joined the coaching staff at UCLA in 2012, spending five seasons with the Bruins as run game coordinator and offensive line coach.

Following a two-year hiatus, Klemm returned to coaching in 2019. He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers, first as assistant offensive line coach (from 2019-20) before taking over the lead duties in 2021. However, he left the team with two games remaining on the 2021 regular-season schedule to accept an offer from the University of Oregon, to become their associate head coach, run-game coordinator and offensive line coach.

Should the Patriots choose to bring Klemm into the fold, is will come at a cost. He is reportedly making approximately $1 million annually at the University of Oregon. 

However, if both sides can work out a mutually-beneficial financial arrangement, Klemm appears to be the top candidate to take over as New England’s next offensive line coach.

With O’Brien also expected to command a significant salary, the Patriots are clearly demonstrating a willingness to invest in offensive improvement. 

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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