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Former Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley was hired by the Los Angeles Rams yesterday as their new tight coach coach. Caley’s contract with the Patriots had expired and the team opted not to offer him a new deal. Caley interviewed with the Patriots, Jets and Texans for their vacant offensive coordinator openings. After not getting any of those jobs, he opted to take Sean McVay’s offer to join his staff.

Caley spent the last eight seasons with the Patriots. He originally joined the team as an offensive assistant in 2015.  In 2017, he was promoted to tight ends coach a role he has held since then.

Did the Patriots make a mistake not keeping Caley on staff? Well, that depends on who you ask. Many people around the league see Caley as a rising star in the coaching profession and view him as a future offensive coordinator. The fact that Caley interviewed for three openings this off- season is proof of that.

It is hard to say how the Patriots view him. Maybe Bill Belichick liked him but gave Bill O’Brien staff autonomy when he was hired and O’Brien chose to bring in his own guys. One thing is certain. If the Patriots were that high on Caley, they would have elevated him to offensive play caller last off-season not Matt Patricia.

For all we know, Caley might have opted to move on. Maybe there were some hard feelings after getting passed over for Patricia last off-season. Either way, both sides have moved on. The Patriots can start fresh and so can Caley.

In due time, Caley will get his opportunity to run his own offense and he may even end up a head coach down the road. If he succeeds, we will be left asking why it didn’t work out here. It is too early to say that letting him leave was a mistake.

This much is certain. Belichick needs to develop someone on his offensive staff that can take over if O’Brien decides to pursue a head coaching job after this season. The Patriots can ill-afford to get caught with their pants down again. It was a huge mistake not having someone in place who can replace McDaniels. Is there a position coach on staff who can step in if O’Brien leaves? That is debatable but Belichick better identify someone sooner than later because the organizations future success depends on it.