In a Rare Occurrence, It Looks Like the Patriots Won't Lose Any Coaches or Personnel People This Offseason

Steven Senne. Shutterstock Images.

You remember last year when everyone made a huge, hairy deal about the fact the Buccaneers were returning all 22 starters? And well they should have, since as we all know, that had never happened before to a championship team in the Super Bowl era. Less talked about, and almost as rare, the Bucs returned virtually their entire coaching staff. Which also almost never happens when a team is that successful. 

But if you think that was something you don't see every year, try keeping a roster and a staff together when you've had this record of success:

Happy Anniversary, by the way. According to the people who decide such things (and I'll be damned if I know how you get hired to that post), the 22nd is supposed to be observed with gifts of copper, "symbolizing prosperity, perfection and good fortune." And it would appear this offseason, the Patriots franchise gets to celebrate Belichick's prosperity, perfection and good fortune with the gift of a penny, which is all he'll need to spend replacing people on his staff. Because at this point, it looks like nobody's leaving. 

As he has for the better part of the decade since he got fired as head coach in Denver and then the Rams' OC in St. Louis, Josh McDaniels was rumored to be getting interest from other teams. Most notably, the Raiders. And that he was taking Dave Ziegler with him as part of a package deal. Just one year after Ziegler replaced Nick Caserio as head of player personnel. But reportedly those jobs are no longer being offered:

Source - According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the “strong buzz” surrounding McDaniels as the next head coach of the Raiders and Dave Ziegler as the team’s next GM has been “quickly muted.” …

Ziegler interviewed for the Raiders’ GM job last week, and reports soon followed that the Raiders were preparing to target McDaniels in their coaching search. Ziegler just completed his ninth season with the Patriots and first as their director of player personnel.

Alas, Tafur reported that something changed, due to compensation, power structure of the organization, or both.

The other Belichick assistant who's been drawing a lot of attention is Jerod Mayo. But it's looking more and more now like he'll be back at his desk, as jobs he was being considered for are getting filled. There's been talk about the Raiders for him too, but that seems dead now that "something changed" regarding Ziegler. He interviewed in Denver and that job just went to Nathaniel Hackett. He was also supposed to be under consideration in Chicago. But as of this morning, it sounds like he got the "Thank you for your interest, but we're going in a different direction. We'll keep your application on file."

So unless something dramatic changes over the next few days as the job prospects are drying up, it's (to borrow a phrase) more probable than not that Belichick's entire staff will be returning. That in a occurrence that is rarer than Halley's Comet, there'll be no brain drain this year. No Dante Scarnecchia or Ernie Adams retiring. No Brian Flores, Joe Judge or Caserio getting hired away. He's facing the highly unlikely prospect of an entire year with total continuity. 

Which is never not a good thing. Unless you're one of those people who wants heads rolling because of the way the season ended. In which case I suggest you stand down. The one man who knows more about putting together a successful organization than anyone who has ever tried will do what he always does. Make evaluations. Make changes where necessary. Shuffle people around. Improve the operation wherever improvements are possible. So this situation, if it remains when all the coaching Musical Chairs have been filled, is a positive. 

That's true any time. But it's especially true given what a huge transition year last season was. A team that completely rebuilt it's roster on all three levels on both sides of the ball can use all the continuity it could possibly get. Most notably with a quarterback entering his second year in the system. The coaches were reasonably successful at bringing all new parts together and making them work. But it didn't go as well as it will need to in order to take the next step. And it's better to have the same people who built this machine doing the upgrades and maintenance than to start over. 

That said, if McDaniels or Mayo do still end up getting hired elsewhere, it's not like it will be the end of the world. Take McDaniels. At least with him, there is an obvious and immediate replacement. If he were to give his his two-weeks notice, Belichick would invite him to take a seat, press "1" on his desk phone speed dial, and as it get picked up on the first ring say, "Hey Nick. Yeah, that's why I'm calling. How soon can you get him on flight?"

Not only has Bill O'Brien run the Patriots Erhardt-Perkins system better than it's ever been run (2007-2011), he just spent a year being immersed in the very same college system Mac Jones was weaned on. Bringing him back would be the no-braineriest of no-brainers. 

As far as Mayo, no one doesn't appreciate and respect him. Mayo was a coach from the first snap he took when he came here from Tennessee in 2008. He just happened to be a coach in the body of an All Pro who was good for 100+ tackles (113 solo and an incredible 174 in 2010) every year. So he would be a loss. But a loss that would be offset by the Patriots getting two 3rd round picks as compensation under an NFL policy to encourage minority hires. As great as it is to have Mayo on staff, he's an assistant who apparently coaches linebackers, but nobody is really sure what his responsibilities are under the Patriots system of oddly super secretive job descriptions. So unless he's going to be their defensive coordinator next year, I can't imagine a scenario where they wouldn't gladly take the two thirds in exchange for his services. 

But it doesn't seem like it'll be a problem the way it usually is. Which is rare around here. And something to be grateful for. In the words of John Dutton, "It's the one constant in life. You build something worth having, someone's gonna try to take it." 

Just not this year, apparently.