Patriots Rumors: NE Hasn't Spoken to Adam Gase About OC Role; 'Quiet' on Bill O’Brien

The New England Patriots reportedly haven't made much headway in replacing former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

According to SI.com's Albert Breer, the Pats haven't spoken to former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets head coach Adam Gase about the opening, and "things have been quiet" with former Houston Texans head coach and current Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

After McDaniels became head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, rumors swirled about who Bill Belichick would bring in as his replacement.

NFL Network's Mike Giardi reported earlier this month that O'Brien and Gase's names kept "popping up" when talking to league sources about the Pats' next offensive coordinator.

McDaniels is a huge loss for the Patriots, considering he spent 18 years as an assistant under Belichick and 13 years as New England's offensive coordinator.

Because of the familiarity lost with McDaniels' departure, bringing in a familiar face like O'Brien to replace him wouldn't be much of a surprise.

O'Brien spent five years on the Patriots' staff as an assistant from 2007-11. That included one year as offensive coordinator in 2011.

After that, O'Brien went 15-9 in two seasons as head coach at Penn State and 52-48 with four playoff appearances in parts of seven seasons as head coach of the Texans.

Last season, O'Brien became the OC at Alabama, helping quarterback Bryce Young win the Heisman Trophy and the Crimson Tide reach the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, where they fell to SEC rival Georgia.

While O'Brien is already well aware of what coaching for the Patriots entails, Gase would be a true outside hire.

The 43-year-old Gase has been an NFL coach since 2005, and he has extensive experience on the offensive side of the ball.

Most notably, Gase was a wide receivers and quarterbacks coach before becoming offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. He then served as the Chicago Bears' OC in 2015 before taking the Dolphins' head coaching job.

Gase went 10-6 and led the Dolphins to the playoffs during his first season, but after going 6-10 in 2017 and 7-9 in 2018, he was fired.

He was hired by the Jets shortly thereafter, but things didn't go any better in New York, as Gase was fired after going 9-23 over two seasons.

Regardless of who the Patriots hire as their new OC, they will have something of a challenge on their hands.

With Cam Newton as their quarterback, the Pats ranked 27th in both total offense and scoring offense in 2020. After replacing Newton with rookie Mac Jones, they took a step forward in 2021, ranking 15th in total offense and sixth in scoring offense.

A strong defense and running game helped Jones immensely, and while he showed flashes of brilliance at times, he still has a long way to go in his development.

Jones and the Patriots were on the receiving end of a 47-17 beating at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs, underscoring how far off New England is from challenging Buffalo for the AFC East crown.

If the incoming offensive coordinator can quickly help take Jones to the next level, however, perhaps the Patriots can get back to their reign of dominance over the division.