By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Alex Boothe
Alabama football offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s contract will expire at the end of the season and reports have surfaced about his potential interest in returning to the NFL with the New England Patriots.
A report by NBC Boston’s Tom E. Curran this week speculated that O’Brien to the Patriots is “probably going to happen”. O’Brien served as New England’s offensive coordinator in 2011.
Curran’s report comes on the heels of another Ian Rappoport of the NFL Network reporting that the Patriots consider O’Brien a strong option to replace current offensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
O’Brien dismissed the rumors on Wednesday ahead of Alabama’s Sugar Bowl game against Kansas State.
“We are very focused on this game. We have been focused on every game we’ve played here this year and last year,” O’Brien said when asked about his rumored interest in returning to the NFL. “So like I said, it’s kind of that time of the year when things come up and things pop up. I haven’t spoken to anyone in New England since probably last April when I went by and saw those guys when I was up there so I wish them well in their last, however many games they have left, but we’re very focused on this game and focused on coaching this team to the best of our ability.”
While O’Brien’s contract with Alabama expires after Saturday’s game, he made it clear that he and the rest of the team are focused on finishing the season strong against Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl.
