Patriots could bring back their former offensive coordinator?

Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots are in desperate need of an offensive revamp, and they may bring back a familiar face this offseason in hopes of addressing those issues.

Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is a “strong option” to return to the Patriots as their OC, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.

O’Brien has spent the last two seasons working under Nick Saban, who is close friends with Belichick. There were rumblings last offseason when Josh McDaniels was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders that O’Brien could get his old job back with the Patriots. One report claimed Belichick did not pursue O’Brien because he was concerned doing so would only be a temporary fix.

Instead, Belichick brought back two of his other former assistants — Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Patricia was New England’s defensive coordinator from 2012-2017, but Belichick thought it would be a good idea to put him in charge of the team’s offense and playcalling. That has backfired tremendously.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft will likely want Belichick to bring in a real offensive coordinator after the season, so O’Brien makes sense as a candidate.

One wild theory is that bringing back O’Brien could lead to a much more exciting reunion in New England. That seems a lot less likely.