Caley is one of nine reported offensive coordinator candidates the Patriots are looking at.
The search for the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator position remains ongoing, and there is one familiar face among the candidates: Nick Caley, who previously eight years on the Patriots’ staff under head coach Bill Belichick, is interviewing for the open position. He already had a virtual meeting with the team, and is in town for an in-person talk on Sunday and Monday.
Who is Caley, though? And why do the Patriots see him as a candidate to earn their offensive coordinator position? Let’s find out.
Who is Nick Caley?
Current position: Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach
Age: 41
Playing background: Caley’s playing background is nothing to write home about. He played high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas in Canton, OH, and later joined Walsh University as a defensive back and punter. After he joined John Carroll in 2005 he began his coaching career.
Coaching background: Caley started off as a student assistant at his alma mater, John Carroll, and focused on the defensive side of the ball early on in his career — unsurprisingly given his personal playing history. He joined the University of Akron in 2006 (defensive graduate assistant), moved on to Auburn in 2008 (defensive administrative assistant), and Iowa State in 2009 (defensive graduate assistant).
In 2012, Caley received his first opportunity as an assistant coach. He was hired by new Eastern Illinois head coach Dino Babers to work as secondary coach under coordinator Kim McCloud. He left the Panthers after only one season, however, and joined the University of Arkansas as a defensive graduate assistant.
Another year later, he was back as a secondary coach — this time at Florida Atlantic. After one season working under head coach Charlie Partridge and defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni, he made the jump to the NFL: the Patriots brought him aboard as an offensive coaching assistant for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
In 2017, he moved up to tight ends coach under offensive coordinator (and fellow John Carroll alumnus) Josh McDaniels. Working with both tight ends and fullbacks, he remained in that role for six years — including working with Pro Bowlers Rob Gronkowski and James Develin — but departed during the 2023 offseason: with the Patriots opting to hire Bill O’Brien as their offensive coordinator over him, he decided to take his talents to the Rams.
In 2023, Caley worked as tight ends coach under Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. Under his leadership, the Rams’ tight ends caught a combined 62 passes for 668 yards and three touchdowns.
Why do the Patriots see him as a potential offensive coordinator?
In a Venn diagram of familiarity and schematic expansion, Caley would find himself right in the middle. On the one hand, he has worked on the Patriots’ staff alongside new head coach Jerod Mayo for four years; they were responsible for areas on the different sides of the ball but still had regular interactions along the way.
There naturally is plenty of Patriots in Caley’s coaching DNA, but his one season in Los Angeles makes him an intriguing target for the team if it wants to modify its offense. After growing up in New England’s version of the Erhardt-Perkins system, he was exposed to the so-called Shanahan offense during his time under Sean McVay — something Mayo apparently has a keen interest in.
After all, the Patriots have interviewed several offensive coordinator candidates to work either under McVay, his assistants, or other Mike Shanahan disciples. Zac Robinson, Dan Pitcher, Shane Waldron, Thomas Brown, Jerrod Johnson, Brian Fleury and Luke Getsy all fall in the same category.
What they do not have — with the exception of Robinson and Waldron, who have since taken positions elsewhere — is experience in New England. With Mayo being a first-time head coach, this might ultimately factor into his decision.