The Detroit Lions will likely name Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia their 27th head coach in franchise history.
Although no formal announcement can be made until New Englands season comes to an end, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning that Patricia will soon make his way to the Motor City.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/952543159971667969
The 43-year-old has been with the Patriots since 2004 and he's served as their defensive coordinator since 2012. He's won 3 Super Bowls and has led a defense that's allowed 19.2 points per game-- 2nd only to Seattle during that time frame.
Patricia will reunite with Lions general manager Bob Quinn-- the two spent 12 years together in New England from 2004-2015. Quinn joined the Patriots in 2000 as a player personal assistant, then worked a variety of roles within the organization until he took the GM job in Detroit it 2016.
It may surprise some that the grizzly-looking Patricia also has quite the academic background-- he received a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering (a field concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1996. He then spent the next 4 years in the engineering field before returning to coach football at Amherst College.
The Sherrill, NY native met with the Lions on January 5 for an interview. He also spoke with the Giants and Cardinals regarding their vacant head coaching positions, as well as the Browns, Chargers and Rams in years past.
Patricia takes over for former Lions coach Jim Caldwell who was fired on January 1, a day after the 2017 regular season came to an end. During his 4 seasons in Detroit, Caldwell went 36-28, and 0-2 in the postseason.
Now that the Lions have found their new bench boss, the Bears, Giants and Cardinals remain the only teams with head coaching vacancies.
Many NFL analysts are predicting that Josh McDaniels, the Patriots offensive coordinator, will be the next candidate to land a head coaching gig.
