The first candidate for the position of offensive coordinator for the Patriots is Nick Caley, a current tight ends coach with the Rams and a former New England assistant, according to sources.
Caley is one of eleven rumored candidates for the post, five of them are coaches who took other offers while the Patriots were looking for someone else. He was chosen for a second in-person interview in Foxboro after being the first to interview with incoming head coach Jerod Mayo. The only other contender known to have flown to New England for a sitdown is former offensive coordinator for the Bears Luke Getsy.
The 49ers’ offensive pass game specialist Klint Kubiak, 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury, Lions pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand, and Raiders pass game coordinator Scott Turner are the remaining known candidates for the position. The Patriots’ interest in Kubiak—whom they interviewed—and Turner—whom they intended to interview as of last weekend—was first revealed by Sports Illustrated.
After signing on with the Patriots in 2015 as a coaching assistant, Caley was promoted to tight ends coach two years later. He held that position for six seasons until moving to Los Angeles last year after the Patriots passed him over in their hunt for an offensive coordinator.
The Rams, who just lost pass game coordinator Zac Robinson to the Falcons, may also be considering promoting Caley, 41.
Caley is the lone applicant the Patriots are considering who has coached in New England in the past. Should he be hired, he might combine aspects of the former Patriots offensive with the one he studied under Sean McVay, head coach of the Rams. Mayo spoke with a number of applicants who had previously worked under McVay and/or coached a comparable offensive scheme.
Getsy was one of those applicants who happened to work with Caley in 2007 while both were graduate assistants at Akron. According to reports, Getsy was supposed to fly to New Orleans on Wednesday for an interview to become their offensive coordinator.
Given that Caley has never directed plays or worked with quarterbacks in the NFL, it’s unknown how the Patriots’ offensive line would develop under his leadership. Bill O’Brien, the team’s former offensive coordinator who also served as the quarterbacks coach, departed the group two weeks ago to accept the same position at Ohio State. During the previous offseason, when Caley also visited with the Jets and Texans regarding their openings for offensive coordinators, the Patriots selected O’Brien over Caley.
Caley helped the Rams make an unexpected playoff run the previous season. As McVay brought in several outside assistants to invigorate the Rams’ offense, which had finished in the bottom ten in 2022, Caley also contributed to the evolution of the team’s offensive scheme. Los Angeles placed among the top 10 teams this season in terms of points scored as well as the opponent-and situation-adjusted DVOA statistic.
After graduating from John Carroll, his alma school, in 2005, Caley began his career as a collegiate coach, going on to teach at Akron, Auburn, Iowa State, Eastern Illinois, Arkansas, and Florida Atlantic. Before switching to the offensive side full-time in New England, he coached defense for the majority of those seasons. He mentored players with the Patriots ranging from 2020 third-round rookies Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene to veterans like Rob Gronkowski and Hunter Henry.
During Caley’s last two years in New England, from 2019 to 22, he worked with the Patriots staff alongside Mayo. Alongside current Pats wide receivers coach Troy Brown, assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates, and running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri, Caley also worked with them. Adrian Klemm, the offensive line coach, has never worked with Caley. He missed the most of the previous campaign due to a serious medical situation that required hospitalization.
Before Mayo extended invitations for a second interview, three of the Patriots’ earliest known candidates—former Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson (Atlanta), former Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron (Chicago), and former Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher (Cincinnati)—took positions as offensive coordinators elsewhere. They were regarded as three of the best coaches available. There is no record of Caley interviewing with any other offensive coordinator.
According to insiders, Mayo began the process with one-hour video conference interviews. Sports Illustrated reports that Mayo then welcomed Caley for a two-day in-person process that began last Sunday. He was accompanied on the aircraft from Los Angeles by Rams assistant special teams coach Jeremy Springer, who agreed to join the Patriots’ staff on Wednesday, a source told the Herald.
Caley would take over one of the league’s least skilled offensive rosters in New England. Despite starting quarterback Mac Jones sitting down four times and missing the final six games of the season, the Patriots averaged 12.9 offensive points per game the previous season. The starting offensive tackles for the Patriots are both eligible for free agency, and the team does not have a tight end under contract.
The Patriots are anticipated to add a quarterback this offseason, either via the draft, where they have the No. 3 overall choice, or through free agency, where they are slated to have the fourth-most cap space in the NFL. Mayo has also listed offensive lineman and wide receiver as critical requirements.
