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Matt Patricia on the Verge of Landing Another High-Profile Coaching Job

By Chris Schad

Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots offensive line coach Matt Patricia against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots offensive line coach Matt Patricia against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots had a boatload of success during the Bill Belichick era, but the path of some of his former assistants hasn’t yielded the same results. From Eric Mangini to Josh McDaniels, things haven’t gone well when a Belichick disciple has left Foxborough.

One of the most glaring examples is Matt Patricia. Patricia joined the Patriots staff as an assistant offensive line coach in 2004 and worked his way up to defensive coordinator in 2012 before becoming the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 to 2020. A career 13-29-1 record in three seasons caused Patricia be fired and return to New England as a senior football advisor in 2021 and offensive line coach in 2022. But he’s been out of football since spending the 2023 season as a senior defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The full resume suggests Patricia may have trouble finding a job but he somehow could be considered for a high-profile role based on a report released on Tuesday.

Matt Patricia Reportedly Considered For Defensive Coordinator Job at Ohio State

Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and 247Sports reported that Patricia was in Columbus on Monday meeting with Ohio State about its defensive coordinator opening. The opening would succeed Jim Knowles, who helped the Buckeyes post college football’s No. 1 defense in total production and scoring on the way to the national championship in 2024 but left to join Big Ten rival Penn State this season.

While Patricia’s performance as a head coach is rightfully criticized, his experience with the Patriots could override any concerns. The Patriots ranked in the top 10 of scoring defense in each of Patricia’s six seasons as defensive coordinator and New England ranked first in scoring defense on the way to winning Super Bowl LI in 2016.

Of course, Patricia hasn’t coordinated a defense since 2017 and spent last season completely out of football after past allegations of sexual assault re-surfaced.

Patricia isn’t a lock to get the job but it’s always interesting to wonder if he would get such a high-profile interview if he wasn’t associated with Belichick. Either way, bringing him in for an interview doesn’t hurt Ryan Day as he looks to build his staff for 2025 and finding a member of a legendary coaching tree wouldn’t be the worst idea to maintain the standard that Knowles is leaving behind.

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