Bill O’Brien was introduced as the new head coach of Boston College on Thursday, which ended a stretch that saw him bounce from the Patriots to Ohio State over the last few weeks.
O’Brien was the Patriots offensive coordinator in 2023 and he said, via Mike Kadlick of WEEI.com, that Bill Belichick’s departure as the team’s head coach was not the sole reason why he moved on from the team. O’Brien said he was given a chance to stay on, but felt it was better for new head coach Jerod Mayo to hire his own people. That led him to briefly become the Ohio State offensive coordinator before landing at B.C. as the top guy.
“I definitely had an opportunity to stay,” O’Brien said. “I thought it was really important for Coach Mayo to hire his own staff. I came and worked for Bill Belichick, and I think it’s really important for Jerod to be able to hire his own staff. The Krafts were great about that, and I really appreciate that. And Ryan Day was awesome about offering me a job, so that’s why I made that decision.”
The Patriots have hired Alex Van Pelt as their new offensive coordinator while Ohio State replaced O’Brien with former Eagles and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly.
