The New England Patriots are bringing on former Wisconsin football assistant Thomas Brown as their tight ends coach and pass game coordinator, as reported by NFL insider Tom Pelissero. Brown had previously interviewed for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator role, which ultimately went to longtime assistant Josh McDaniels under new head coach Mike Vrabel. Pelissero noted that Brown captivated Vrabel during his interview, paving the way for this hiring. Prior to this, Brown held a similar position with the Chicago Bears before the 2024 season. He was promoted twice during the year: first to interim offensive coordinator after Shane Waldron’s dismissal, and then to interim head coach after Matt Eberflus was fired. The Bears recorded a 1-4 record in the five games he coached, and Brown also interviewed for the head coach position after the season, but the team opted to hire Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. In 2014, Brown served as Wisconsin’s running backs coach, where he helped Melvin Gordon have a historic season (343 carries, 2,587 rushing yards, and 29 touchdowns). He left after that season for the same role at Georgia, where he played running back from 2004-07. The experienced assistant has also spent time at Miami (offensive coordinator, 2016-18) and South Carolina (running backs, 2019) in college, as well as with the Los Angeles Rams (running backs, 2020-21, tight ends in 2022) and the Carolina Panthers (offensive coordinator, 2023) in the NFL. He is among several former Wisconsin assistants advancing in the NFL, alongside former Badgers quarterback Scott Tolzien, who recently departed the Dallas Cowboys staff, and Jim Leonhard, who signed on with Denver for another season.
