Patriots Rumors: Latest on Matt Patricia, Joe Judge After Bill O'Brien Hire as OC

The future of coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge with the New England Patriots is reportedly in limbo after head coach Bill Belichick hired Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach this week.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, "all options remain on the table" for Patricia, who could either return to the Patriots in a different role in 2023 after serving as the offensive play-caller this season or go elsewhere and return to coaching defense.

Judge, who was New England's quarterbacks coach and offensive assistant in 2022, is expected to return to the Pats' coaching staff next season in a yet-to-be-determined role, per Howe.

Josh McDaniels, who served as the Patriots' offensive coordinator from 2006 to 2008 and 2012 to 2021, left the organization last offseason to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

That left a huge void in Belichick's coaching staff, and he attempted to fill it by taking a by-committee approach.

Patricia was a Pats assistant from 2004 to 2017, serving as defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. He then spent three seasons as head coach of the Detroit Lions before Belichick brought him back in 2021 as offensive line coach and senior football adviser.

Meanwhile, Judge was an assistant coach in New England from 2012 to 2019. His greatest roles were as special teams coordinator from 2015 to 2019 and wide receivers coach in 2019.

After spending two seasons as head coach of the New York Giants, Judge returned to the Patriots this season as quarterbacks coach and an offensive assistant.

Belichick refused to publicly name an offensive play-caller before the start of the 2022 season, seemingly giving both Patricia and Judge an opportunity during the preseason. Patricia ultimately won out, but both of them had a significant hand in the offensive schemes.

The results were less than ideal, as New England ranked 26th in the NFL in total offense and 17th in scoring. The Pats were also 24th in rushing and 20th in passing en route to going 8-9 and missing the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Andrew Callahan and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald reported Thursday that there was a great deal of offensive dysfunction in 2022.

Players who had experience playing in a Mike Shanahan-type offensive system were reportedly frustrated with the coaches' lack of proficiency in the scheme and expressed concerns over things being oversimplified during the preseason.

Sources also told the Herald that Judge overstepped his bounds at times, attempting to coach across positions, and Belichick blew up at him in practice on multiple occasions. Judge and quarterback Mac Jones reportedly had profanity-laced shouting matches as well.

In O'Brien, Belichick is turning to someone else he is familiar with, but also someone better qualified for the OC job than Patricia or Judge.

O'Brien was the Pats' offensive coordinator in 2011 before becoming head coach at Penn State and then of the Houston Texans. Most recently, he was the OC and quarterbacks coach at the University of Alabama from 2021 to 2022.

More competent coaching could go a long way toward helping the New England offense improve in 2023, but better play from Jones and an influx of weapons in the passing game are needed as well.