Former New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo is working out a deal to join the New England Patriots as a senior offensive assistant, a person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press.The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Tuesday because it had yet to be finalized.
The 46-year-old McAdoo was the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator under Matt Rhule in 2022.Joining the staff of new Patriots coach Jerod Mayo will reunite McAdoo with Alex Van Pelt, who was recently hired as New England’s offensive coordinator. McAdoo was the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers in 2012 and 2013 when Van Pelt was the running backs coach.McAdoo was the Giants offensive coordinator under Tom Coughlin from 2014-15 before being promoted to head coach in 2016. He went 11-6 in his first season, ending a four-year playoff drought.
But it fell apart the following season after a 2-10 start that included the mismanagement of the benching of two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning.McAdoo spent 2020 as Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks coach and was a consultant with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021.
In New England, McAdoo will likely be called on to provide another veteran assistant around Van Pelt. He also could potentially help tutor a new quarterback should the Patriots move on from Mac Jones and draft a new one this spring.
Following the arrival of new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, all coaches on the Green Bay Packers’ defensive staff have been given permission to pursue other opportunities, according to
That includes Jerry Montgomery, who interviewed with the New England Patriots on Saturday. There’s a chance he will join the staff of the newly-promoted Jerod Mayo, who replaces Bill Belichick as the team’s next head coach.Montgomery, 44, could also wind up returning to the Packers—and that wouldn’t be the first time.
The longtime defensive line coach left the Packers following the conclusion of the 2017 season to join Jimbo Fisher’s staff at Texas A&M as an assistant head coach and defensive line coach. However, after just two weeks, Montgomery had a change of heart and returned to Green Bay where he’d remain for the next six seasons and counting.
“It’s been a little hectic,” he told the time. “But at the end of the day, I had a great opportunity to go to a great program and be with a great coachin staff. I think A&M and Coach Fisher are going to do well there. At the end of the day, the best opportunity for me and my family was here in Green Bay. So I’m going to leave it at that and just thankful for the opportunity to be here.”
That might not be the case this time around. The Packers appear content with allowing Montgomery to venture elsewhere and, according to don’t expect him back on the staff in 2024.
Montgomery has become something of a household name in Green Bay over the last several years. He’s outlasted three different defensive coordinators in Dom Capers, Mike Pettine and the recently-dismissed Joe Barry. He oversaw the development of Mike Daniels, a 2012 fourth-round pick who secured a Pro Bowl selection in 2017. Montgomery has also been credited with Kenny Clark’s ascension after joining the Packers as a first-round pick in 2016. Under Montgomery’s watch, Clark is a three-time Pro Bowl selection—most recently this past season when he replaced the San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl-bound Javon Hargrave—and is one of the more underrated nose tackles in the league.
The transition to a new face spearheading the defensive unit in Hafley could bring about a shift in both philosophy and scheme. The Packers’ edge rushers, headlined by Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, could see more opportunities to stick their hands in the grass and rush the passer as defensive ends. That would presumably mean that both defensive ends and outside linebackers are coached as one singular group, which would place more emphasis on Jason Rebrovich, the team’s pass-rush specialist.
Head coach Matt LaFleur’s hiring of Hafley could signal a complete overhaul of his defensive staff, potentially starting with Montgomery.It’s still early in the process of figuring out how Hafley is going to construct the Packers’ defense. General manager Brian Gutekunst made it clear on Thursday that he isn’t expecting widespread personnel changes on that side of the ball—for the most part, the Packers have the talent suited for whichever scheme Hafley wants to deploy.