Following the departure of Matt Patricia as the next head coach of the Detriot Lions, the New England Patriots have an opening at defensive coordinator. One of the early candidates has been Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano.

However, it appears that Schiano has decided to pass up the opportunity to interview for the vacancy, according to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports.

Schiano's relationship with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick over the years sparked the conversation initially. While he was reportedly expected to take the job, Belichick and the Patriots never said as much.

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After spending two years as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has held down the Ohio State defensive coordinator position for the last two seasons. He has ingrained himself as a fixture on Urban Meyer's coaching staff and has experienced much success in the role. The Buckeyes ranked fifth in the country in fewest yards allowed per play, led the nation with 114 tackles for loss, and were third with 45 sacks.

This nearly helped him land the head coaching job with Tennessee before a pushback from the school's fanbase led to them going in another direction. Schiano has found a niche for himself in college football, and he'll likely receive an opportunity to be a head coach not too far down the road.

Meanwhile, the Patriots will likely conduct a full search for their next defensive coordinator, which more than likely will be an in-house hire. Under Belichick, New England has typically gone with coaches currently working with the team to promote them to prominent positions, or coaches with previous ties. The favorite as it stands right now is Brian Flores.