Former Bears interim coach Thomas Brown joining Patriots coach Mike Vrabel's staff
Less than a week after new Bears coach Ben Johnson released Thomas Brown from his contract, he is taking a job as the Patriots' passing-game coordinator and tight ends coach under Mike Vrabel, NFL Network reported.
Brown, 38, is a rising star in coaching and was the Bears' interim coach for the final five games this season after they fired Matt Eberflus. He began the season as their passing-game coordinator before stepping in as offensive coordinator when they fired Shane Waldron in mid-November and eventually taking over for Eberflus.
He went 1-4 as interim coach, but ended the Bears' 11-game losing streak to the Packers by winning at Lambeau Field in the season finale.
He originally was a candidate for offensive coordinator for the Bears and has had multiple head-coaching interviews over the past few offseasons. Before the Bears, he had been offensive coordinator for the Panthers (2023) and the University of Miami (2016 through '18), plus he was assistant head coach to Sean McVay with the Rams (2021 and '22).
The Bears moved on from Brown in favor of Johnson, who hired former Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator this week.