Patriots Insider Profiles ‘Outside the Box’ Coordinator Candidate

Chip Kelly, unlike other coaches who have been linked to the Patriots this offseason, has never been on the same staff as Mike Vrabel.

But there are connections between Vrabel and Kelly, the offensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Those connections prompted ESPN’s Mike Reiss to call Kelly an “outside the box” candidate for New England’s offensive coordinator job.

“When Vrabel was initially hired as the Titans’ coach in 2018, then-Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day was among those he pursued as his OC,” Reiss wrote. “Day’s mentor, Chip Kelly, is currently the OC at Ohio State and would be a novel possibility for Vrabel to consider.”

Josh McDaniels continues to be considered the favorite to become the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, although it’s unclear if he was interviewed for the job. New England reportedly interviewed Thomas Brown, who served as interim head coach and offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, and requested to interview Los Angeles Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady.

Kelly, 61, a native of Dover, New Hampshire, has not worked in the NFL since 2016. He was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for three seasons (2013-2015), then head coach of the 49ers of San Francisco for one season (2016), following his impressive run in Oregon.

Kelly coached the UCLA Bruins for six seasons (2018-2023) following his NFL run. He left UCLA and joined Day’s staff at Ohio State, helping the Buckeyes win the College Football Playoff national championship against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday.