NFL Rumors: This Could Force Bill O’Brien To Leave Patriots

Much like Bill Belichick, Bill O'Brien's future with the Patriots is uncertain.

O'Brien returned to New England back in January, and he was set up to be a savior of sorts after the Patriots featured one of the NFL's worst offenses last season. But Mac Jones and company have experienced little to no improvements under O'Brien, who should have minimal job security in Foxboro, Mass. purely based on performance.

But merit aside, O'Brien's own interests eventually could lead to a New England exit.

"No one I've spoken to believes that O’Brien came to New England with long-term plans of being the offensive coordinator, because he wants to use the job as a springboard to a head coaching opportunity," The Boston Globe's Ben Volin wrote in a column published last week.

"He could have been a candidate to succeed Belichick, but Jones' struggles and the Patriots' 31st-ranked scoring offense probably have squashed that. Now there are rumors that O'Brien, a former Penn State coach, could be headed back to college, with Michigan State looking for a new coach (and maybe Michigan, too)."

Should O'Brien leave the Patriots after the season, it could set the stage for another reunion. Josh McDaniels is out of a job in the NFL, and Volin believes the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach would "jump at the opportunity" to be New England's offensive coordinator again.