Caley coached in New England from 2015 to 2022.

The New England Patriots will start their process of finding a new offensive coordinator by looking at an old friend.

Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley, an assistant in New England from 2015 to 2022, will interview with his ex-team on Monday. Adam Schefter of ESPN was first to report the news.

Caley, 40, offers considerable coaching experience. Starting his career as a student assistant at his alma mater, John Carroll, he worked at various colleges — including big-name programs such as Auburn and Arkansas — over the next decade. In 2015, after previously working as secondary coach at Florida Atlantic, he made the jump to the pros.

Caley spent his first two years in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Patriots, and by 2017 was named the team’s tight ends coach. He held that role for six seasons but left in the spring of 2023 after being passed over for the offensive coordinator gig in favor of external re-hire Bill O’Brien.

Rams head coach Sean McVay brought Caley to Los Angeles, where he coached a tight end group that combined to catch 62 passes for 668 yards and three touchdowns.

With O’Brien leaving the Patriots again after one underwhelming season, and with the team’s staff as a whole in a rebuilding process following a change at head coach, the door might be open for Caley to return. He is the first reported candidate to interview with neo-HC Jerod Mayo for the vacant offensive coordinator position.

In total, Caley is the eighth assistant coach linked to the Patriots this offseason.