Ever since Tom Brady left, the New England Patriots haven’t been the same. Despite this, they were at least competitive over the past three years with records of 7-9, 10-7, and then 8-9 in 2022. This season, however, they’ve fallen apart.
New England is just 3-9 and will surely end up with double-digit losses for the first time since 2000. Ironically, that was the first year Bill Belichick was their head coach and this one could be his last. If so, here are eight candidates to replace the legendary coach. It won’t be easy to replace a six-time Super Bowl winner, but there are at least some strong options.
8. Sean Desai, Eagles defensive coordinator
An up-and-coming coach in the NFL, Sean Desai was with the Chicago Bears from 2013 through 2021 and worked his way from a quality assistant to defensive coordinator by 2021. He then spent one year in Seattle as an associate head coach and defensive assistant before getting another coordinator job this year with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Desai, who earned a doctorate at Temple and should definitely go by Dr. Defense, has done well with the Eagles this year. They’re not elite when it comes to stopping total yardage but they’ve forced 12 fumbles and have 32 sacks. They’ve also been able to make stops in key situations, as they did earlier in the year when Dallas threatened to make a comeback in the final seconds. With the game on the line, they broke through and recorded a clutch sack to end the game.
Desai will surely be a head coach one day and his name should be in the cycle this offseason. New England would be wise to have him on a short list of potential candidates.
7. Dan Quinn, Cowboys defensive coordinator
Another defensive coordinator to consider would be Dan Quinn, who, like Desai, is also currently in the NFC East. Quinn took over the coordinator position for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 and quickly turned their ragged bunch into an absolute force.
They’ve been a top-10 scoring defense for three years now and continue to be one of the best units in the league when it comes to getting after the quarterback and creating turnovers. It’s not just one player either as Quinn has had success with Trevon Diggs, who had 11 picks in 2021, and DaRon Bland who has five pick-sixes this season — which is an NFL record. He can also get after the quarterback in waves with Micah Parson, Dorance Armstrong, and DeMarcus Lawrence all thriving under his tutelage.
So far, Dallas has been able to keep Quinn from leaving but he continues to draw interest. Eventually, this will lead to his departure and that could happen ahead of the 2024 season. If he is willing to make the jump back to a head coaching position, New England should be interested.
Quinn does have experience as a head coach which is a plus — and does have a winning record of 43-42. Of course, hiring him in New England would be ironic since this is the team that started his downfall with the Atlanta Falcons.
Following an 11-5 campaign in 2016, Quinn led the Falcons to the Super Bowl where they had a 28-3 lead over the Patriots. Tom Brady was able to orchestrate the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28. Quinn's team continued to spiral from there and he was eventually fired following an 0-5 start in 2020. Even so, he's rehabbed his image nicely and will be a big name again in 2024.
6. Bill O'Brien, Patriots offensive coordinator
If New England wanted a familiar face to run their team, they could consider an in-house candidate. For years, it was assumed Josh McDaniels would one day take the reins from his long-time boss and that feeling intensified when McDaniels flamed out in Denver and returned to be the offensive coordinator under Bill Belichick once again.
Then, McDaniels went out of his way to make himself unhirable as a head coach. He took over the Las Vegas Raiders last year and ran them into the ground. There were some crazy rumors that included him having Antonio Pierce represent him in team meetings where the players voiced their displeasure with McDaniels, especially when Pierce mentioned beating New England in 2007. He was then fired and the team responded wonderfully to Pierce.
For New England, this could be a win. With McDaniels once again proving he’s not the man for the job, they’d be more likely to hire his replacement, Bill O’Brien, thus avoiding a colossal mistake by bringing McDaniels back again. Currently in his second stint with New England, O’Brien left in 2012 to coach Penn State. From there, he went to Houston to run the Texans and was 52-48. He had some success but there were issues as well, mostly due to personnel decisions.
The question now is whether or not they want to keep anyone from this offensive staff — because what they’ve produced is frankly, offensive. Still, B.O.B. is still well respected and has a solid resume. Even if he doesn’t land the job, he will be in contention and should get another shot at some point in his career.
5. Kellen Moore, Chargers offensive coordinator
If the Patriots are in the market for a younger head coach who could be around for another couple of decades — assuming he does well that is — Kellen Moore could be an option.
Moore became famous during his exceptional run as the quarterback for Boise State. Even with his success, his smaller stature and lack of arm strength led to him being undrafted. Despite this, he had a decent career as a backup with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys.
Following the 2017 season, he transitioned from Dak Prescott’s backup to the quarterback coach. He remained in that role for one season before moving to offensive coordinator. Moore had plenty of success, even staying on board when Jason Garrett was fired and Mike McCarthy took over in 2020.
However, the two sides parted ways this year and Moore headed to Los Angeles to take the same position with the Chargers. Things haven’t gone as planned but Moore could wind up in an interim role should Brandon Staley wind up being let go. Even if that doesn’t happen, he’s going to wind up getting a chance at some point. For the Patriots, it would be a huge shift from what they’ve had under Belichick for decades, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing.
4. Mike MacDonald, Ravens defensive coordinator
No one has lived through the Harbaugh experience the way Mike MacDonald has.
Originally an assistant under Mark Richt at the University of Georgia, MacDonald joined John Harbaugh’s staff with the Baltimore Ravens as a coaching intern in 2014. He was promoted to defensive assistant the following year then spent time as the defensive back coach and linebacker coach.
He left the NFL in 2021 to join the Michigan staff and was the defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh. He made a record salary for the Wolverines and led them to a top-10 defense, a Big-Ten Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoffs. He then headed back to Baltimore when the Ravens moved on from Wink Martindale.
Now back with John Harbaugh, he’s a defensive coordinator in the NFL and has had no problem adapting to this role. He’s also replaced one of the best coordinators in the game without missing a beat. In fact, they’ve even improved thus far.
After 12 games, Baltimore is second in points and yards surrendered — up from third and ninth in 2022. His defense has held four teams under 10 points including the Lions, who are one of the best in the game. They even held Kellen Moore’s Chargers to just 10 in Week 12. That should be enough to get MacDonald some interest this offseason and New England could wind up being a potential landing spot.
3. Eric Bieniemy, Commanders offensive coordinator
For several years now, Eric Bieniemy has had his name thrown around for head coaching vacancies but has been unable to secure a job. The main reason seems to be a belief that he's not responsible for the success his team has had in Kansas City.
That thought is understandable since the Chiefs have had several offensive coordinators during Andy Reid's tenure and all have been great in that role. Some have even gotten head coaching jobs including Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy. Understanding he wouldn't get the respect he deserved until he left Reid's shadow, Bieniemy decided to take a position with the Washington Commanders this year.
Through 12 games, the Washington offense has improved upon last season going from 24th in yards to 20th and 20th in points to 14th. That might not sound like much but considering the fact that they have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and can't get teams off the field, it's actually pretty impressive.
The question now comes down to whether or not this is enough to get him the job he's been after for a while. As for the Pats, if they're going to consider Bieniemy they might have plenty of competition. In fact, he might even be a front-runner to replace Ron Rivera, who seems to already have one foot out the door.
2. Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator
Ironically enough, the Detroit Lions have been one of the most dominant teams in the NFL since midseason 2022. They started out 1-6 last year and then finished 8-2, giving them their first winning campaign since 2017. This year, they’ve been on a tear as well, winning eight of their first 10 games.
They’re not only winning the NFC North but also in play for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Most of that success is due to their highly efficient offense led by Ben Johnson. At 37 years old, Johnson is a hot name in the coaching ranks, and for good reason. He’s elevated the previously porous Lions offense to a top-10 scoring offense over the past two seasons.
He’s also taken Jared Goff and helped him go from a perceived draft bust to one of the most effective passers in the game. Last year, the former No. 1 overall pick had 4,438 yards with 29 touchdowns and just seven picks. So far in 2023, he’s again playing well with 3,075 yards and an 18-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Johnson’s ability to tailor his offense around the quarterback will be a huge draw for anyone looking for a new head coach. For New England, that could be a plus whether they want to give Mac Jones another chance to secure the job or make a change to a rookie. That’s just one of many reasons he should be in contention if they decide to make a move.
1. Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots linebackers coach
Arguably the No. 1 option for the Patriots to succeed Bill Belichick is someone who already knows the franchise and how they operate. Team owner Robert Kraft has constantly preached doing things “The Patriot Way” and has been a fan of how Belichick runs things. That’s not to say he wouldn’t be thrilled to have a new approach, a new style of offense, etc. but he would like the same level of accountability and professionalism.
This can be found outside of the organization, for sure, but teams have been fooled before. Take the aforementioned Josh McDaniels as an example. Everyone thought he would be like Belichick but he was as far from it as humanly possible. That’s why it would make sense for them to stick with someone they know, attempting to eliminate any surprises.
With all that being said, Jerod Mayo would make a lot of sense for them as the next head coach. In fact, there’s a belief that he’s being groomed for the role — and has been considered for other openings as well.
Mayo has spent his entire career in New England, starting in 2008 when he was selected in the first round out of Tennessee. He played there until 2015, making it to the Pro Bowl twice while also earning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2008.
He returned to the Pats in 2019 and has been a linebacker coach since then. Mayo has had a huge hand in the development of the defense and is widely respected as a head coaching candidate. Perhaps that happens in 2024 with the only NFL franchise he’s ever known.