Several weeks ago, Chris Simms heard that Bill O’Brien could be returning to the Patriots in 2023, as the offensive coordinator. Simms also has mentioned it once or twice on PFT Live.
Others have said the same thing. It finally became an official Sunday Splash! (On A Saturday!) report in Week 16, courtesy of NFL Media.
Ian Rapoport describes O’Brien as a “strong option” to rejoin the Patriots. The chatter has been far more definitive than that. The truth could be that O’Brien’s return won’t be relevant until it’s known with certainty that coach Bill Belichick will be back.
There’s currently a weird vibe around the Patriots, exacerbated by the very bizarre outcome to last week’s loss to the Raiders. For all the craziness that ensued, the situation went sideways when Belichick, a supposed master of situational football, didn’t order the offense to take a knee with three seconds left, no timeouts, and 55 yards to go for a touchdown.
Throw in the fact that the Patriots currently are getting shut out, 15-0, in a gotta-have-it game against the Bengals, and it makes sense to keep an eye on New England -- especially if they don’t make it to the playoffs, for the second time in three years.
O’Brien, 53, worked for the Patriots from 2007 through 2011. He coached Penn State in 2012 and 2013, before becoming head coach of the Texans from 2014 through the first four games of the 2020 season. He joined Alabama as offensive coordinator in 2021.
