Alabama's Bill O'Brien is the "primary target" of the New England Patriots offensive coordinator search, according to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston.
That New England would be interested in O'Brien and vice versa lands somewhere between breaking news and common sense. O'Brien is uniquely suited for the position given his ties to the organization -- he was with the team from 2007-11, rising from offensive assistant to offensive coordinator -- and to quarterback Mac Jones.
Jones and O'Brien never worked together in Tuscaloosa, but they share a common understanding of the "Alabama offense" that Jones used to become a first-round pick in the 2021 draft after piloting the Crimson Tide to the 2020 national championship.