This Weirdly-Timed Speculation Connects Patriots’ Bill O’Brien To Panthers

There are more questions than answers as it relates to the New England Patriots, especially after their embarrassing Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany on Sunday.

The majority of those questions, however, have centered around head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones. Belichick’s future with the organization continues to be a main topic of conversation while Jones might have made his last start with the franchise during the international contest.

But a social media post from The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini on Monday almost certainly will cause some to wonder about the future of offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. O’Brien returned to the Patriots this offseason.

“Frank Reich and staff are going to try hard to get this Carolina offense off the ground. The Panthers have smart coaches who can figure this out, but let’s say they can’t,” Russini wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “You know who knows how to coach the best version of Bryce Young? New England’s Bill O’Brien.”

While Russini’s insight is far from a report directly tying O’Brien to the Panthers, it feels like Russini isn’t just throwing crap against the wall in hopes that it sticks. It feels like some level of informed speculation.

O’Brien served as the offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide during 2022. Young was Alabama’s quarterback that season, prior to being drafted No. 1 overall by Carolina in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Young has underwhelmed to start his rookie season. He has won just one of his eight starts with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in those eight games.

The Panthers hired Frank Reich as the organization’s head coach in January. Given that Carolina is the only one-win team in the league, however, his future with the franchise is far from certain. The same might be said about offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who took over play-calling duties from Reich last month.