Sean Payton's Defensive Coordinator Search Down To Three After Matt Patricia Interviews With Denver Broncos
Sean Payton needs to hire a defensive coordinator to join his first-year Denver Broncos staff. Although there isn't a huge rush to do so, the list is down to three.
Earlier this month, Payton interviewed Rex Ryan. The 60-year-old has not coached since 2016 and currently serves as an analyst with ESPN.
A few days later, Payton spoke with Vance Joseph. That hire would be interesting because the 50-year-old previously served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2017 and 2018. Joseph, who is currently entering his fifth year as defensive coordinator in Arizona, would be making a lateral move to the team that fired him less than a decade ago.
Sean Payton added another name to the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator candidate mix on Wednesday.
According to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, Matt Patricia was in the Mile High City to speak with his prospective employer about the defensive coordinator opening. The 48-year-old rounds out the current list of candidates.
Matt Patricia is of interest to Sean Payton. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Although Patricia's last few years have been rough, he is still considered one of the better defensive minds in the game. He led a top-10 scoring defense in each of his six years as the defensive coordinator in New England. They won two Super Bowls during that tenure.
Patricia left the Patriots in 2017 to become the head coach of the Lions, but was fired after a 13-29-1 record in two and a half seasons. At that point, he returned to Belichick's staff as a senior football advisor.
In 2022, after Josh McDaniels left for Las Vegas, Patricia was put in charge of the offense. Considering that he had never coached an offense before, it did not go well.
Patricia was relieved of his duties as the offensive play-caller after the season. He is currently set to return to his role as a football advisor.
Unless he gets the job with Payton and the Denver Broncos, that is!