FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Thomas Brown returns to New England as the Patriots’ passing game coordinator and tight ends coach, beginning his second season working closely with coordinator Josh McDaniels. The 40-year-old will work most directly with veteran tight end Hunter Henry and 2026 third-round pick Eli Raridon of Notre Dame.
Brown used his spotlight to address broader issues in coaching hires. He called the lack of Black head-coach hires a “very complex conversation” and said “to say it’s frustrating in some ways is probably an understatement.” The offseason included 10 head-coaching vacancies, none of which were filled by a Black candidate, the report noted.
Of the NFL’s 32 teams, only three have Black head coaches: Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans and Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets, according to the story. Brown said he hears the league mantra that teams hire “the most qualified candidates,” but added he takes issue with the notion that “there’s not many candidates in the pipeline to choose from.”
Brown described his own approach as straightforward: pour everything into the job and let team success open future opportunities. “The growth opportunity every year expands if you’re about the right stuff,” he said. His perspective is shaped by a turbulent five-year stretch that included a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, several coordinator interviews in 2023 and staff changes in Carolina and Chicago.
Brown was assistant head coach and running backs coach under Sean McVay with the Rams when the team won the Super Bowl, and McVay praised his “incredible command.” He interviewed for seven to eight offensive coordinator openings in 2023, joined Frank Reich’s initial staff in Carolina before Reich’s November firing, then moved to the Chicago Bears in 2024 where he was elevated to offensive coordinator and later interim head coach after Matt Eberflus was fired.
Now back in New England, Brown said he has found stability under coach Mike Vrabel, who hired him quickly after an immediate rapport despite no prior connection. He praised Vrabel as a “CEO head coach” who engages in all three phases and “does an awesome job being a connector,” calling him a “master of majoring in the simple things” and valuing the coach’s consistent process.
