If Nick Caley doesn’t become the Patriots’ next offensive coordinator, he could land that job elsewhere this offseason.
The longtime New England assistant will be a “name to watch” for Houston’s OC position if the Texans hire current Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as their next head coach, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported Wednesday.
From ESPN.com:
“Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon impressed the Texans in interviews last year and should be a strong candidate for the job again this year. If he does get that job, I’ve been told one of the names to watch for his offensive coordinator is Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley, who has a connection with Texans GM Nick Caserio from Caserio’s time in New England.”
Caley has been on Bill Belichick’s staff since 2016 and has coached New England’s tight ends since 2017, making him the Patriots’ longest-tenured offensive assistant. He was rumored as a potential candidate to replace Josh McDaniels as New England’s offensive coordinator last offseason, but Belichick ultimately decided to fill that void with a combination of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.
Caley reportedly attempted to join McDaniels — a fellow John Carroll University product — in Las Vegas last year, but the Patriots blocked him from doing so. A reunion with McDaniels remains possible this offseason now that Caley’s New England contract is up.
Team owner Robert Kraft likes Caley and would like to keep him on staff, according to a recent report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, but convincing him to stay without a promotion could prove difficult.
In that same report, Breer indicated Kraft is unhappy with the offensive staff as a whole and could push for sweeping changes. Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard reported the same earlier this week.
Belichick has not revealed whether he plans to make any coaching changes this offseason, saying only in his end-of-season news conference that he’ll “evaluate everything.”
