Matt Patricia has largely taken control of the Patriots’ offense during the first two days of training camp.
But as we know, Bill Belichick seemingly has no plans to name him offensive coordinator. Part of Belichick’s refusal to name a coordinator might stem from his desire to protect Patricia and Joe Judge, who was seen calling plays on a walkie-talkie during 7-on-7 drills Thursday.
But there is likely a financial reason, too.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently explained the business incentives attached to giving Patricia and Judge vague titles. Patricia is listed as the “senior football advisor/offense line,” and Judge is listed as the “offensive assistant/coordinators.”
That’s right: they’re not even technically position coaches.
Keeping Patricia and Judge’s titles non-specific allow the Patriots to receive their labor for a fraction of the cost.
Teams that fire head coaches are responsible for paying out the duration of their deals. Historically, that meant other teams could hire discarded head coaches to join their staffs, and pay them like glorified interns.
To combat that practice, the NFL instituted new rules that say fired coaches have to be paid at a rate commensurate with the established pay scale for their role. There is a pay scale for coordinators, and there is one for position coaches. But there isn’t one for a “senior football advisor” or “offensive assistant.”
That means the Lions, who signed Patricia through 2022, are still probably paying the bulk of his salary. Judge has three years left on his full guaranteed deal with the Giants.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran mentioned the unique financial structure this week, too. “Patricia is going to call the plays and be acting [offensive coordinator],” Curran tweeted. “But not naming him allows Pats to let Detroit keep paying him through end of his Lions contract (2022) and means Patricia doesn’t have to do weekly coordinator calls.”
With that in mind, maybe Patricia will be more of a traditional offensive coordinator this season — he just won’t wear the title.
That still doesn’t mean he’s the right person for the job. But the structure of the Patriots’ staff might not be as unorthodox as observers first thought.
