The New England Patriots are wasting no time interviewing candidates for their vacant head coaching position.
The Patriots are interviewing veteran coach Pep Hamilton, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported.
Hamilton, 50, was the former Houston Texans offensive coordinator in 2022 but has been a “free agent” the previous two seasons. Hamilton is well-traveled, having experience on seven different NFL teams: Jets, Colts, Texans, Browns, Bucs, 49ers, and Chargers. In addition, he was named the DC Defenders Head Coach and General Manager before the 2020 XFL season. He went 3-2 with the Defenders in 2020.
Hamilton played a significant role in developing Justin Herbert, as he was his quarterbacks coach when Herbert entered the league. He is also a known believer in Patriots rookie quarterback Joe Milton, citing him as a top-five quarterback under 25 in the NFL.
The Patriots have confirmed they’ve completed their interviews with Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton, complying with the Rooney rule. They are now free to hire any NFL coach.
It has been reported that the Patriots requested to interview Lions OC Ben Johnson and former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.