Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is on an expiring contract with the Crimson Tide and most NFL insiders believe he will return to the pro ranks this coaching cycle. If he leaves, that would leave Nick Saban with two coordinator vacancies after Pete Golding was announced this week as the new DC at Ole Miss.
Since the NFL’s regular season ended, nearly all the smoke associated with O’Brien’s potential move centers around around the Patriots and his relationship with Bill Belichick. O’Brien has been tied to several openings around the NFL this month, but New England appears to be the franchise with its sights on Alabama’s play-caller.
O’Brien has spent the past two seasons with the Crimson Tide and helped Bryce Young win the Heisman during the 2021 campaign. Ahead of Alabama’s Sugar Bowl win over Kansas State, O’Brien said he had not been in contact with the Patriots since he visited New England in the springtime of last year.
Here is some of the most recent media rumblings on where O’Brien could land if he doesn’t stay at Alabama for 2023 and beyond:
