Patriots Coach Tracker: NE Hires Jeremy Springer as New ST Coach.
Tracking all Patriots-related coaching news as the Jerod Mayo era begins in New England.
The Jerod Mayo era has begun in New England, with the Patriots’ new head coach assembling his staff.
Two of the team’s three coordinator vacancies have been filled, with former defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington taking over as defensive coordinator and former Rams assistant special teams coach Jeremy Springer becoming the new special teams coach.
The sole open position is offensive coordinator, and five of the 11 applicants interviewed had accepted other offers or decided not to leave their present teams. Outside of former Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who made a lateral move to join the Bears after Pete Carroll was fired, all of these contenders chose familiarity. Both Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and Bears passing game coordinator Thomas Brown are former Rams teammates. Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher and Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson both stayed in good circumstances with talented young quarterbacks, which has become a pattern this summer.
While fans are growing concerned that New England has unable to find a match, there are still six candidates that have interviewed with the Patriots on the board.
Nick Caley, the Rams’ tight ends coach and a veteran Patriots assistant, is allegedly the frontrunner and has received little attention elsewhere. Klint Kubiak, the 49ers’ passing game coordinator, and Brian Fleury, their tight ends coach, are coaching in the Super Bowl and may not accept outside employment until after the game. Tanner Engstrand, the Lions’ passing game coordinator who appeared to be Ben Johnson’s successor as offensive coordinator, may be trying to leave Detroit now that Johnson has decided to stay. Former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is unemployed and was in New England for an interview on Tuesday, while Raiders passing game coach Scott Turner’s role in Vegas’ new administration is unclear.
This page will keep track of any news about the Patriots’ coaching staff, such as interviews, interview requests, offers, signings, and departures.
Click here for a timeline of Jerod Mayo’s career and Bill Belichick updates.
Hiring: Jeremy Springer, Patriots special teams coach (former Rams assistant special teams coach).
Reported: 9:08 AM, 1/31/24.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Patriots have hired Jeremy Springer, a former Rams assistant special teams coordinator, as their new special teams coach. Springer travelled to New England earlier this week with offensive coordinator candidate Nick Caley for an in-person interview after meeting with the team remotely last week.
Springer spent the previous two seasons on the Los Angeles team’s staff. While the Rams’ special teams units were by far the weakest in the league following Chase Blackburn’s hiring as special teams coordinator, they improved significantly in 2022. Kicker Matt Gay made a career-high 93.3% of his field goal tries, while Brandon Powell ranked eighth in overall kick return yards and seventh in kickoffs returned beyond the 20-yard line among players with at least 20 kickoff returns in 2022. Jourdan Rodrique of The Athletic reported last February that the Rams were “stoked to keep Springer around as an up-and-coming young coach they want to keep developing” when he elected to stay with the organisation.
Springer began his coaching career in 2013 as a graduate assistant at his alma university, UTEP, where he played linebacker and special teams from 2007 to 2011 and was named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honour Roll four times. He subsequently worked under Jeff Banks, the special teams coach, and helped with tight ends at Texas A&M. During that time, the Aggies’ special teams were among the best in college football, topping the nation in blocked kicks and punts in 2017.
Springer joined Marshall’s staff in 2018, where he helped guide the team’s kick return unit to a 38.1-yard average, ranking fourth in the conference.
Springer went on to become the special teams coordinator at the University of Arizona from 2018 to 2020. Former Patriots running back J.J. Taylor averaged 24.5 yards per return on 22 returns in 2018, including one touchdown, and 23.6 yards per kick return on 19 total returns in 2019. Arizona kicker Lucas Havrisik also made 90% of his field goal attempts in a truncated 2020 season.
Following two disappointing seasons, the Patriots plainly needed to take a fresh approach on special teams. While Joe Judge’s tenure in New England is set to end, it will be intriguing to see if his co-special teams coordinator, Cam Achord, returns in any way.
Interview with Luke Getsy, former Bears offensive coordinator.
Reported: 3:18 PM, 1/30/24.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported Tuesday afternoon that the former Bears offensive coordinator is in New England today to interview for the position.
Head coach Jerod Mayo told The Greg Hill Show last Monday that this week would be designated for in-person meetings centred on X’s and O’s, whereas last week was more focused on philosophical questions via Zoom. The Rams’ tight ends coach, Nick Caley, is the only other candidate believed to have met with the team this week.
Getsy failed as the Bears’ offensive coordinator from 2022 to 2023, drawing criticism for his management of Justin Fields. But the Patriots, who have strong ties to the Shanahan and McVay coaching trees, may find value in Getsy’s tenure with the Packers from 2020 to 2021. He worked as Green Bay’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator under Matt LaFleur, with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love. Getsy also collaborated with current Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf from 2014 to 2017, when Wolf was in the Packers’ executive office.
Interview with Klint Kubiak, 49ers passing game coordinator.
Reported: 10:02 AM, 1/29/24.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported Monday morning that the Patriots had interviewed 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak for the position of offensive coordinator.
He is the son of four-time Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak and another contender with no ties to the Patriots. In his debut season as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator, Kubiak guided Brock Purdy to a league-leading 113.0 passer rating.
Prior to 2023, Kubiak’s professional career was divided between the Vikings and the Broncos. He began as an offensive quality control coach for Minnesota in 2014-2014 before becoming Kansas’ wide receivers coach in 2015. He then worked as an offensive assistant in Denver from 2016 to 2018, reporting to his father during his first season with the team.
Kubiak returned to the Vikings with his father in 2019, serving as the quarterbacks coach before being elevated to offensive coordinator in 2021.
Due to Denver’s offensive difficulties, Kubiak was named the Broncos’ passing game coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and play-caller in late November 2022.
Kubiak is the second candidate with ties to Kyle Shanahan that New England has interviewed, having already visited with San Francisco tight ends coach Brian Fleury. The majority of their offensive coordinator interviews have been with Shanahan or McVay disciples, indicating that head coach Jerod Mayo is aiming to familiarise himself with the NFL’s most dominating scheme.
