Patriots Rumors: New Surprising Details About Perplexing Hire
The Patriots filled an important spot on their coaching staff with an unusual and perhaps troubling choice.
Despite rumors of Wes Welker’s potential return to Foxboro, Mass., New England hired Todd Downing as its wide receivers coach. Downing, the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for the New York Jets last season, has never coached wide receivers since breaking into the NFL in 2005.
Given that lack of experience, many assumed Vrabel strong-armed his way to Downing joining the staff. The pair worked together for four seasons in Tennessee, where Downing was the Titans offensive coordinator under Vrabel in 2021 and 2022.
But according to Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard, it wasn’t Vrabel who pushed for Downing to take an office at One Patriot Place.
“They went through extensive searches, specific to the wide receivers position, they talked to a lot of college receivers coaches,” Bedard said on his self-titled podcast, as transcribed by USA Today. “But from what I understand, Vrabel was not going to force anybody on (Josh) McDaniels. From what I understand, Vrabel wasn’t even involved in the Todd Downing interview.
“He (Vrabel) wanted to make sure that if it was Todd Downing, that McDaniels really wanted him. From what I understand, that is true. McDaniels really wanted him, really liked him. McDaniels, he didn’t even need a former receivers coach. He just wanted a really good coach.”
It’s fair for Patriots fans to question Downing’s hire, as it continued a streak in New England of inexperienced coaches leading wide receivers — a position group that’s struggled for years. However, it’s not like Downing is someone cutting his teeth in this profession. He has over a decade of NFL experience coaching varying facets of offense.
Not to mention, McDaniels’ reported stamp of approval should mean something. The six-time Super Bowl champion knows what it takes to orchestrate a highly effective offense, and he appears to believe Downing can help with that effort.