Report: Reason why Nick Caley rejected Patriots’ OC job offer

Why did Nick Caley decline the Patriots’ offer of an open position?

Reason behind Nick Caley’s rejection of the Patriots’ over-the-cup job offer report
NBC Sports Boston first published a report titled “Report: Why Nick Caley turned down the Patriots’ OC job offer.”

Nick Caley seemed to be the favorite to become the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots at this point last month. However, in an unexpected move, Caley stayed on as the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams, and Alex Van Pelt was hired by the Patriots in his place.

Why, therefore, wasn’t Caley hired by New England? Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated claims that Caley made the decision to remain in Los Angeles.
According to Breer on Tuesday night, Caley was “offered the Patriots offensive coordinator job… at a very competitive salary” by new head coach Jerod Mayo. Caley served as a member of the coaching staff with the Patriots for eight seasons, from 2015 to 2022. But Caley refused to work for his previous employer.

Saying no was difficult, as Breer put it. “But Caley had such a good experience last year with the Rams, that the idea of leaving was more difficult than turning down a coordinator job.”

Breer claims that Rams head coach Sean McVay expressed his “ecstatic” reaction to Caley’s decision to stay, and as a thank you, he awarded Caley the position of pass game coordinator, which had been held by Zac Robinson before Robinson left to take an offensive coordinator position with the Atlanta Falcons.

Why Caley would prefer to stay a position coach rather than take over as offensive coordinator for the Patriots is initially perplexing. It raises questions about the franchise’s perception outside of New England and whether some coaches are hesitant to join a team that finished 4-13 the previous season with the worst offense in the NFL and is going through a lot of transition following the departure of Bill Belichick.

Although that might have played a role in Caley’s choice, it seems that his happiness in Los Angeles overshadowed any animosity toward New England. And it’s possible that everything worked out well for both parties because Van Pelt gives the new coaching staff much-needed expertise that Caley couldn’t have given. Besides, Caley is only 41 years old, so he still has time to pursue an OC position in the future. Van Pelt will have to infuse new life into an offense that finished the previous season with an average of only 13.9 points per game.