Patriots Country

Patriots Interview Surprising HC Candidate

The New England Patriots are reportedly interviewing a surprising head coaching candidate.

Evan Massey

Jan 1, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense coordinator Byron Leftwich against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Raymond James Stadium.
Jan 1, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense coordinator Byron Leftwich against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. / Kim Klement-Imagn Images
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Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots are searching for their next head coach. After firing Jerod Mayo, the Patriots are committed to making sure that they get it right this time around.

While the rumored favorite for the job is Mike Vrabel, New England is going to do its due diligence.

That being said, they're set to interview a very intriguing candidate who has not been mentioned in any way, shape, or form before.

According to a report from Mike Jones of The Athletic, the Patriots are interviewing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator and former NFL quarterback Byron Leftwich for their head coaching position.

In his original report, Jones obviously had a typo, which he quickly fixed.

Leftwich is a name that has come completely out of left field. He has been out of coaching for the last two years, but has been hoping to make a return to the sideline.

New England might end up making a surprising hire, but the way the Mayo situation went it seems much more likely that they would want someone with a proven track record. However, they are going to talk to quite a few names to make sure that they don't make a mistake again.

Recently, Leftwich talked to The Athletic about wanting to get back into coaching.

“I didn’t have the opportunities right after and this last year that I thought I would have, but I understand the process, and I understand that the whole world’s trying to get in that league,” Leftwich said. “Nothing should be given to me. Nobody owes me anything. So, I’m going to just work and see if I can have the opportunity to coach in that league again.”

Only time will tell, but the interview is happening. Leftwich has officially become a candidate to land the Patriots' job.

It will be interesting to see what Kraft and New England end up deciding to do. Vrabel still seems like the best bet to get the job, but the Patriots could opt to go in a different direction.

Expect to hear more news about the New England coaching search in the coming hours and days.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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