Former Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown found himself in a difficult position this past season.
After interviewing for the Bears' offensive coordinator vacancy last offseason, Brown took a position on the team's coaching staff as the passing game coordinator. In complete honesty, the title sounds more important than the role Brown actually had on the staff to open the season. Brown was mostly used as a scout team safety during Bears' practices to open the season, having little interaction with quarterback Caleb Williams.
After the in-season firings of Shane Waldron and Matt Eberflus, Brown had a meteoric rise through the Bears' coaching staff in November, going from being the team's interim offensive coordinator to interim head coach in a matter of weeks.
Given the circumstances surrounding Brown's promotion to being the team's interim head coach, the team in the middle of a double-digit losing streak, he seemed to face an uphill climb toward being named the team's permanent head coach. Brown did receive a virtual interview but it seemed it was more of the team getting one final sense of what went wrong within the locker room.
Nevertheless, once Ben Johnson took over as the team's head coach, Brown was among the coaches who were immediately dismissed.
Brown has found a landing spot as he will be joining the New England Patriots' coaching staff under Mike Vrabel.
The #Patriots are hiring Thomas Brown as their tight ends coach/pass game coordinator, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 27, 2025
Brown, who most recently was the #Bears’ interim coach, impressed Mike Vrabel in an OC interview and now is joining Vrabel’s staff. pic.twitter.com/MCv2jM9wPQ
When Vrabel was a short-lived candidate for the Bears' opening, there was speculation that Brown could stay on as the offensive coordinator. Now, Brown joins Vrabel's coaching staff in New England while working under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
It will be a chance for Brown to restock his value as a potential head coach in the future. After consecutive seasons in undesirable situations with the Bears and Carolina Panthers, Brown, hopefully, now has stable ground on Vrabel's coaching staff.