The New England Patriots might have to find a new defensive coordinator for the 2018 NFL season.
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Patriots are bracing for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to leave, most likely to become the next coach of the Detroit Lions,” ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio wrote Saturday night.
The Lions fired head coach Jim Caldwell after Week 17. He spent four seasons with the Lions but went 0-2 in the playoffs. Detroit hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991.
The Lions interviewed Patricia on Friday.
Patricia is in his seventh season as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator. He’s won two Super Bowl titles in that position during his New England tenure, and could win a third this season with the Patriots earning the AFC’s No. 1 seed thanks to a 13-3 record.
Patricia was rumored to be a candidate for head coaching vacancies after last season, but he remained in New England for the 2017 campaign. It seems unlikely he’ll be back for 2018 given the interest teams reportedly have shown in him, as well as the large number of open positions available.
