As he prepares his team for their final game this season, Bill Belichick talks about Jets head coach Adam Gase. If Josh McDaniels leaves for a head job, and Gase is let go, could he join the Patriots staff?
With the NFL regular season wrapping up Sunday, it's only a matter of hours before the coaching carousel starts spinning in earnest, with teams passing out pink slips and starting interviews to get a jump on the 2021 season.
Thus far, the Falcons, Lions and Texans already fired their head coaches during the regular season, and other teams -- like the Jets -- are expected to follow suit in short order.
As is the case in most years, members of the Patriots staff are being linked to job openings.
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In a report from NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo, both Josh McDaniels and Jerod Mayo are names to watch in Houston as the Texans search for a replacement for Bill O'Brien.
Report: Pats, Newton expected to part ways this offseason
McDaniels is perennially in the mix when coaching vacancies arise, and he recently reiterated his desire to take on another head coaching gig after one-plus season in Denver and then accepting (and backing out of) the Colts job. Should he move on from New England this offseason, one name to watch as a replacement could be Adam Gase, upon whom Bill Belichick heaped plenty of praise this past week.
As for Mayo, he is seen as a "rising star in NFL coaching circles" after serving two years on Belichick's staff as the team's inside linebackers coach.
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Before Houston focuses on a head coach, however, the Texans plan to hire a new general manager -- and the NFL Media report included Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio as a name of interest there.
One other Patriots name to watch in job searches is front office consultant Eliot Wolf, who was mentioned as a person of interest in the Lions' search for a new GM, according to the NFL Media rundown of job openings.