The New England Patriots are hiring former Chicago Bears interim head coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown to be their offensive passing game coordinator and tight ends coach. Brown, a former Georgia Bulldogs running back, served as Chicago’s interim coach after the Bears fired Matt Eberflus.
The Patriots have a promising young roster, a lot of cap space and NFL draft capital this season, so Brown is landing in a desirable spot. The Bears decided not to retain Brown and multiple other coaches after hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach.
Brown was a top candidate and interviewed with the Seattle Seahawks for their offensive coordinator role, but the Seahawks ended up hiring New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for the same role in Seattle.
The Bears initially hired Brown as their passing game coordinator and promoted him to be their offensive coordinator after they fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Now, he will hold a similar role for the Patriots under first-year New England head coach Mike Vrabel.
Brown was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. He was the Panthers’ play-caller for a portion (mostly the second half of the season) of Carolina’s brutal 2-15 season.
Brown also previous served as an offensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay before coming to Carolina and Chicago. He is highly respected around the NFL. Brown rushed for 2,646 yards and 23 touchdowns in his Georgia career from 2004-2007.
