Alex Van Pelt, a quarterback, will oversee their offensive scheme.
Under new head coach Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots have been looking far and wide for someone to oversee their offensive.
On Thursday, that process came to an end. The Pats have appointed veteran NFL quarterback Alex Van Pelt as their offensive coordinator, according Tom Pelissero of NFL Media.
Van Pelt, 53, was originally selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft out of Pitt. In his nine seasons as an NFL player, he only started eleven games. Van Pelt played his whole career with the Buffalo Bills, the division rivals.
As he looks to replace club legend and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick, the defensive-minded Mayo finds it difficult to have someone with Van Pelt’s experience.
Van Pelt was a dependable assistant in the NFL when he retired from the game. He was the Buffalo Bills’ quality control coach from 2006 to 2007, then in 2008 he was elevated to offensive coordinator and in 2009 to quarterbacks coach.
The former NFL quarterback was the Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator from 2020 until head coach Kevin Stefanski fired him last month. Van Pelt then went on to become the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2010–11 before working as an assistant with the Green Bay Packers from 2012–17. He also served as Aaron Rodgers’ quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers from 2016–18 before being hired in the same capacity with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Van Pelt oversaw a top-10 scoring attack for the Browns last season despite their injury problems. Given that quarterback Deshaun Watson missed 11 games and standout running back Nick Chubb missed all but two for Cleveland, this was quite an accomplishment.
Given Mayo’s inexperience on that side of the ball, it’s no minor matter to have an offensive mind with expertise calling shots.