The Patriots 2025 offseason began far earlier than anyone hoped, but they started excitingly preparing for next season. Besides hiring Mike Vrabel to replace Jerod Mayo as the next head coach, who the ex-Patriot and former Titans head coach has hired to make up his staff has been overwhelmingly well received, with experience seeming to be the main factor in who he's bringing on.
Inexperience appeared to be the biggest weakness of the team during Mayo's tenure, on top of trying to do all that he could not to mimic Bill Belichick in any way. While Vrabel will come in and be his own head coach, too, his experience in the role and those around him are not expected to be a concern during the season, which is a nice change from what the Patriots have dealt with in recent years.
After announcing the new coaching staff in full last week, there was a new rumor floating around from current Boston College head coach and 2023 offensive coordinator on the Patriots Bill O'Brien.
It was an unofficial announcement about the return of legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who fans have been begging to return since he finally retired after the 2019 season. O'Brien revealed he had been working closely with the new o-line coach, Doug Marrone, but that apparently isn't accurate.
Dante Scarnecchia won't be returning to New England, after all
During an appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" last week, Scarnecchia was (of course) asked about what O'Brien had said and wanted to clarify the situation, especially since he wasn't part of the announcement regarding the new regime.
Unfortunately, Scarnecchia denied the claims outright and said he was not involved in anything with the team, completely ending all speculation about his advisory role.
Patriots HoF and former OL Coach Dante Scarnecchia joins! Will Scarnecchia be consulting with the #Patriots next season? Scarnecchia: "It's not true!" @WEEI pic.twitter.com/deak2fm6na
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) February 6, 2025
Read More: Patriots coaching staff tracker for 2025 NFL season under Mike Vrabel
It makes sense to hear that the 76-year-old coach is not returning, given that he has already come out of retirement to help the Patriots for the final three years of his career. He was long overdue to be done coaching, and it appears he will continue living that life despite what O'Brien had to say.
It's not the update that Patriots fans will likely want to hear, given how poorly the offensive line has performed over the last few years, or maybe even arguably since Scarnecchia retired. It was fascinating to hear that the new position coach had connected with the legend and was seeking his guidance with his new team, but that's just a dream now.
Where O'Brien got his information is not yet known, but it'll be interesting to see if he has any follow-up to his claims, considering how impactful they were in just a few days.