On Thursday, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported that the Patriots are hiring Browns offensive assistant Ashton Grant to be their next quarterback coach.
Grant, who has risen through the coaching ranks quickly at only 28 years old, spent five seasons in Cleveland, serving in various capacities for the offensive coaching staff before assuming his post as “offensive assistant/quarterbacks” ahead of the 2023 season.
Grant was able to help weather the storm at QB for Cleveland that season, as they cycled through five different starters as injuries tore through that room. They ended up settling on 38-year-old Joe Flacco as their starting QB for the home stretch, installing the former Super Bowl winning quarterback as their man under center after he had been sitting on his couch through most of the season. Grant and the Browns’ offensive coaching staff helped Flacco achieve heights he hadn’t seen in a decade, and the former Raven went on to win 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He was 4-1 as a starter, and the Browns won 11 games overall on their way to a playoff berth.
Grant’s addition to the coaching staff means 22-year-old Drake Maye will have a whole new suite of coaches working with him going into his second season, with the hiring of Josh McDaniels being made official on Wednesday, as well as the organization parting ways with former OC Alex Van Pelt - who had remained under contract after the firing of former head coach Jerod Mayo and could have been brought back in some capacity.
But luckily for Maye, Grant’s background with the Browns will help keep continuity with terminology intact. 2023 was Van Pelt’s first year with the Patriots, one year removed from working as offensive coordinator in Cleveland. Van Pelt routinely spoke with the media about drawing from his experience with the Browns, making it clear that his offense in Cleveland played a big part in shaping the offense in New England. On top of that, Van Pelt brought along QB coach T.C. McCartney from Cleveland, who Maye often heaped praise on while talking with the press throughout his rookie season.
So, yes - it’s two new offenses in two years for Maye. But at least there’s some connective tissue for him to work off of. Add in the fact that Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a consultant on the Browns staff, and it’s almost like the Patriots should have to wear an orange CLE decal somewhere on their helmet.
The New England region is nothing new for Grant, who is a native of Manchester, CT playing his high school ball in the Hartford suburbs at Manchester High School. From the Nutmeg State, Grant moved up to Assumption College (now Assumption University) in Worcester, where he set the school record for most touchdown receptions in a single season (13) in 2016, earning himself Northeast-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Grant went on to become a Greyhounds legend, setting school records for career receiving yards (3,204) and touchdown receptions (36).
Before entering the coaching ranks, Grant spent time as a training camp wide receiver with the Chiefs and Bears, and went on to play in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football for the Salt Lake Stallions. Before making his leap to coaching in the NFL, Grant spent the 2019 on Bob Chesney’s staff at Holy Cross as the offensive quality control coach.
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