Patriots Insiders Launch Intriguing Candidate for Offensive Coordinator Job

Mike Vrabel has plenty of connections in the football world, which could lead the Patriots head coach to recall a former Gillette Stadium employee.

Vrabel said he wants to look at all of his options regarding coordinators. This mindset came in response to the Josh McDaniels rumors that circulated before New England even hired the three-time Super Bowl champion.

The Patriots have reportedly interviewed Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown. They have reportedly requested an interview with Los Angeles Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady for what appears to be their offensive coordinator vacancy.

Another name they might consider is Charles London. Tom Curran and Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston suggested the Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach because of his fascinating connection to the team.

“He was the director of stadium operations, and I believe he’s someone who, for concerts and games, talks to team security and makes sure they have all the points control in place, ‘clear bags or opaque bags,’ etc. of that nature,” Perry told host Tom E. Curran on the “Patriots Talk Podcast,” according to NBC Sports Boston.

“I can’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of what a stadium operations manager does. But he was doing this here in New England 20 years ago and he said, “You know what? I’m going to become a coach. He became a graduate assistant at Duke and just moved up the ranks, and now he’s in Seattle as the quarterbacks coach.

Part of London’s coaching journey included a stint on Bill O’Brien’s staff at Penn State as running backs coach. London joined O’Brien when the former Patriots offensive coordinator became head coach of the Houston Texans. This means he overlapped with Vrabel when he was on O’Brien’s team. And London was Vrabel’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator with the Tennessee Titans during the 2023 season.

The connections are there, and he could be a name to watch as Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal also profiled London as a potential offensive coordinator candidate during his appearance on the WEEI “Afternoon Show” on Friday.

McDaniels is still considered the favorite, but Patriots insiders believe Vrabel wants to have a long list of candidates, and London could be part of that list.