Since he was hired this past offseason, there have been many questions surrounding Alex Van Pelt's fitness as the Patriots' offensive coordinator. Although he is a former quarterback and respected position coach, his play-calling has come under fire this season, as the offense has been struggling to do much of anything through ten games.
It has sparked demands for his in-season firing or immediate dismissal at the end of the year, with him staying on as the quarterback's coach at the very least, if necessary.
Because of the uptick regarding his status, plenty of names have floated around as potential replacements for Van Pelt in 2025, one of the more prominent being current Giants head coach Brian Daboll. The former New England tight ends coach from 2013-2016 has had a rough tenure in New York and is looking like he will be looking for a job elsewhere at the end of the year, making him available for the Patriots if they have an opening.
Given his background with quarterbacks, his most recent and noteworthy player being Josh Allen, he's become a prime candidate for Patriots fans who want Van Pelt replaced. The idea of working with Drake Maye could be exactly what draws Daboll to Foxboro next year.
The latest rumor surrounding Brian Daboll could allow the Patriots to hire him in 2025
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, Daboll's status with the Giants is more unclear than what meets the eye. Although team owner John Mara has stated that he "didn’t anticipate making any changes in-season" and wants to "stay the course" with the current coaching staff, history proves he is not unwilling to eat his words if deemed necessary.
Mara has said similar things in the past with former head coaches Ben McAdoo and Joe Judge, so Daboll's not immune to the ever-changing mind of the billionaire owner. And because of that, he will easily find a play-calling role with a new team next year, which could be the Patriots.
"If the draft were today the New York Giants would have the number one overall pick..
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I don't know that anybody is safe in New York and I think anything is possible there" @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/hMXiCJZI6u
Because he was so successful with Josh Allen in Buffalo from 2018-2021, there's a good chance Daboll will want to work with another young and developing quarterback again.
Who better than a rookie who is constantly compared to the Bills' quarterback?
Working with Maye could be a strong selling point for the Patriots in conversations with Daboll with the promise of helping to mentor their next franchise quarterback, similar to how he accomplished that with Allen during his time with the AFC East rival.
Allen improved every year that Daboll was on the sideline. In just two seasons, the quarterback was second in MVP voting, proving further how beneficial it was to work together. Since he departed to become the Giants head coach, Allen has had some struggles with new coordinators but is still considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Much of that is due to the foundation Daboll helped create in their four years together.
He could replicate that with Maye in New England, and given his ties to the team already, it seems like a no-brainer for the new regime to at least consider.