Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are expected to once again pursue opportunities outside of the organization this offseason, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe. This does seem like a yearly occurrence with both of these two major figures in New England, but, in the case for Caserio, the team could be a real risk of losing him.
The Globe reports that Caserio is expected to take full advantage of his free agent status this offseason and will listen to any and all offers that may come his way. Of course, it was as recently as this past summer when the Houston Texans tried to pry Caserio away before being blocked by the Patriots. Volin relays that Caserio is still looking at Houston as an option, despite the organization deciding to work without a GM going forward. The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers were the other two teams mentioned.
As it relates to Caserio it's important to point out that his contract reportedly expires following the 2020 NFL Draft. The timing of his free agent status would be a tricky one for teams wanting to bring him in as he would miss not only the draft, but the initial waves of free agency as well. Of course, the Patriots could cut Caserio loose early for him to more easily find a job around the league, if they desire. After all, it would be a bit perplexing for New England to want Caserio to help build a roster this offseason that he is going to eventually leave in a few months, possibly to a direct competitor in the AFC.
There's always the chance, however, that owner Robert Kraft pulls a similar card he did before Josh McDaniels almost left for Indianapolis a few years ago and gives Caserio a Godfather-like offer to stay.
Speaking of McDaniels: The Globe notes that he is expected to aggressively pursue head coaching jobs once again. His decision to renege on the Colts of their heading coaching offer after already accepting it back in 2018 did seem to hurt his stock last year as there was minimal interest around the league. What happens this year in regards to how teams view him is still up in the air.
There is the possibility that McDaniels and Caserio could team up together. After all, prior to the 49ers hiring head coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch in 2017, San Fran did look at possibly pairing up the Patriots duo. Volin points out that Caserio could also pair himself with Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who was with the Patriots as an assistant and is expected to be a hot head coaching candidate as well.
While there is plenty of talk surrounding Tom Brady's pending free agent status this offseason, don't sleep on these two members of the Patriots brass booking it out of Foxborough, either.
