The New England Patriots could be losing one of its top assistant coaches this offseason — and it's not offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
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ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has "gotten calls from just about every team that has an opening right now," according to a tweet from CBS Sports analyst Will Brinson. Schefter said teams have claimed that Patricia is smart enough to be a general manager, which is the role Bill Belichick has with the Patriots in addition to coaching.
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Schefter has tweeted that several teams have submitted requests for Patricia, including the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions.
Patricia, 43, has been with the Patriots since 2004. He started as an offensive assistant in 2004, and he was the assistant offensive line coach in 2005. He moved to linebackers coach from 2006-2010, and he coached safeties in 2011 before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2012.
Patricia doesn't exactly have the background of a typical NFL coach. He didn't play in the league, and he played college football at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering. There probably aren't many rocket scientists coaching in the NFL.
The Patriots don't have top level personnel on defense, and they struggled during the first four games of the season. They're still 29th in yards allowed, but they are No. 5 in scoring defense allowing only 18.5 points per game.
There are several vacancies in the NFL, including the Cardinals, Lions, Bears, Raiders, Colts, Giants and possibly the Bengals, and it's possible the Patriots could lose both Patricia and McDaniels in the same offseason.
