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NFL insider: Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien interviews with New England Patriots

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•01/19/23•

AndrewEdGraham

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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien completed an interview for the vacant New England Patriots offensive coordinator position, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He previously held the role for one season, 2011.

In the decade-plus since, O’Brien has been both a college and professional head coach before finding his way to holding the keys for the Alabama offense under Nick Saban since 2021. His name has been atop numerous lists as a head coaching candidate this offseason.

Under O’Brien, Alabama produced a Heisman winning quarterback in 2021: Bryce Young. The Crimson Tide averaged more than 475 yards per game on offense in both seasons under his lead.

O’Brien began his coaching career at his alma mater, Brown, where he played linebacker on the football team. After two seasons there, he spent eight seasons coaching on the offensive side of the ball at Georgia Tech. From there he did two brief stints at Maryland and Duke prior to joining the New England staff in 2007.

With the Patriots, O’Brien moved quickly up the coaching staff. By 2009, he was quarterbacks coach and in 2011 he added the offensive coordinator title along with that role. He parlayed his success in the NFL to the head coach job at Penn State in 2012.

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In two seasons there, while navigating the massive NCAA sanctions that resulted from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, O’Brien managed to lead Penn State to a 15-9 record. An impressive feat of coaching, all things considered, and enough for the Houston Texans to make him their head coach in 2014.

O’Brien was the head coach (and eventually also the general manager) for the Texans from 2014-2020, when he was fired. His Texans tenure unraveled after he traded away DeAndre Hopkins for a lackluster return and they began the 2020 season 0-4.

But two successful seasons with Saban at Alabama have helped restore some of the shine on O’Brien — and the Patriots seem interested in running it back with him as offensive coordinator.