Report: Patriots ask to speak with Keenan McCardell about offensive coordinator job

Darth Hoodie wants to hire an offensive coordinator, and it appears that a member of the Minnesota Vikings’ coaching staff is among his potential targets.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the New England Patriots have requested permission to speak with wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell in their search for a new offensive coordinator.

McCardell came to the Vikings in 2021 and was one of the few holdovers from Mike Zimmer’s staff to join Kevin O’Connell’s team. He’s regarded as a rising star in the coaching ranks and has overseen the development of Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn during his tenure. Osborn, in particular, appears to have benefitted greatly from McCardell’s tutelage, as he went from being a special teams disaster that was in real trouble of being cut after his rookie season to an incredibly valuable complement to Jefferson and Adam Thielen over the past two years.

Unlike past years, teams are no longer able to block coaches from interviewing for coordinator positions. McCardell can decide on his own that he’s not interested in interviewing for the position, but the team can’t really stop him from taking the interview if he’s interested.

While it would be pretty well impossible to be angry with Keenan McCardell for taking a promotion somewhere else, the Vikings fan in me hopes that he stays with the Vikings because he’s proven himself to be a pretty outstanding coach in the short time he’s been here.