The Patriots have had the unfortunate fate of losing many quality coaches and players over the last several years, most notably Josh McDaniels to the Raiders, Tom Brady to the Bucs, and Bill Belichick, who was dismissed rather than leaving on his own accord. This led to significant changes to the team and, therefore, impacted their overall success, leading them to the point of having three head coaches in as many years.
The offense was the part of the team hit the hardest, especially losing the impressive play calling of McDaniels right after Mac Jones's rookie season. It didn't help that just two years before, they also saw the departure of the greatest quarterback of all time, who was known for covering up most of the offense's inefficiencies himself.
But one coach's retirement might have left the biggest mark on the team that they're still dealing with today: offensive line guru Dante Scarnecchia.
The offensive line has been the weakest part of the entire roster for the better part of five years, leading most Patriots fans to beg Scarnecchia to return. He had made them one of the best groups of the team throughout his decades in New England, but he retired after the 2019 season, and presumably so did the offensive line.
Because he's now in his late 70s, his return was deemed unlikely. However, a new tidbit of information from an unlikely source indicates Scar will be back for the 2025 season.
Dante Scarnecchia will reportedly be an advisor on the Patriots in Mike Vrabel's staff
During the newest episode of "The Bill O'Brien Podcast" this week, the Patriots former offensive coordinator revealed that new offensive line coach Doug Marrone has been in contact with Scarnecchia multiple times since he was hired, and has even met with him in person to pick his brain.
Better than that, O'Brien seemed to announce that Scarnecchia will return to the Patriots in an advisor role for the 2025 season, making the seemingly impossible possible at the right time.
#Patriots new OL coach Doug Marrone has already met with with legendary OL coach Dante Scarnecchia multiple times, per Bill O’Brien.
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) February 5, 2025
"Dante's already met with him a few times which is good… Dante’s back involved with the program helping out as an advisor… That’ll help Doug… pic.twitter.com/FhA9UzKUt8
This is a massive win for the Patriots no matter how much Scarnecchia will be involved in daily things. Being around the team and helping with coaching up the new o-line coach is significant and will put the Patriots in a much better spot than had he remained completely retired from the NFL.
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There hasn't been any official word about what his role will exactly be or any details, but if what O'Brien is saying is true, it's only a matter of time before the Patriots make the announcement and fans can rejoice over the news.