Mayo hopes Springer’s hiring is special
The Patriots are hiring Rams assistant special teams coach Jeremy Springer to be their new special teams coordinator, a source confirmed Wednesday to the Herald.
Springer was the second candidate to interview after Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams, who reportedly turned the job down to stay in Atlanta. Springer visited New England earlier this week for a second interview and becomes the second coordinator hired under new head coach Jerod Mayo, who recently promoted defensive assistant Demarcus Covington to defensive coordinator.
Springer has two years of NFL experience and eight in the college ranks, including stints as the special teams coordinator at Arizona (2018-20) and Marshall (2021). Last season, Springer, 34, helped oversee a bottom-ranked Rams special teams unit under first-year coordinator Chase Blackburn. Los Angeles struggled to make field goals, generate return yards and cover punts.
The Rams’ special teams ranked among the NFL’S worst in more than 40 years, by the opponent-and-situation-adjusted metric DVOA, following a below-average season in 2022. That year, Springer helped kicker Matt Gay make 93.3% of his field goals, the second-highest mark of Gay’s career. Patriots kicker Chad Ryland is coming off a dreadful rookie campaign when he made 64% of his field goals, and New England’s special teams finished 28th by DVOA.
Springer’s arrival comes days after Patriots special teams assistant Joe Houston left to join the coaching staff at Florida, according to a source. Springer replaces former special teams coordinator Cam Achord, whose contract expired this offseason. Former Patriots assistant head coach Joe Judge helped lead the special teams last year after the Pats ranked dead last by DVOA in 2022.
Before taking over at Arizona, Springer apprenticed under heralded special teams coordinator Jeff Banks at Texas A& M. In his final season of 2017, the Aggies led
the nation in blocked kicks and punts. Texas A&M also ranked first in punt returns during each of Springer’s first years in 2015-16.
Springer entered coaching as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, UTEP, from 2011-13. He played linebacker at UTEP for four seasons, and became a special teams standout. He also has a twin brother, Justin, who played football at Kansas.
Springer expounded on his coaching philosophy during a 2018 interview that followed his hiring at Arizona.
“Be consistent with your energy, your passion, your technique. And coming to work every day,” he told Tuscon.com. “If you’re not consistent with it, the players are going to see it right away. And you’ve got to show them examples. You’ve got to show them how it’s done. At the same time, you’ve gotta talk like that. So you’re consistently trying to prove what championship special teams looks like.”
Spr inger cont inued on his approach to the game, when asked what he would try to instill at Arizona.
“First things first, have a lot of passion and energy. You’re going to hear me say it a lot. I want guys to come out there and have fun with it,” he said. “I don’t want to be that stagnant group where people are quiet and don’t want to be here. I want to make it fun for them.
“A lot of guys don’t come here to play special teams. Let’s just be honest. They come here to play offense and defense. Maybe they were the best player at their high school. They come here, they’ve gotta make a role for themselves.
“I try to make them get involved a little more. Through my presentations, through my actions every day, I want to make it fun for the guys.”
During his introductory press conference, Mayo said he intended to build a coaching staff that could develop talent.
“I’m a huge believer in developing people, whether it’s on the football field, off the football field, in the media world or in business,” Mayo said. “My calling is to develop people.”
Based on the candidates in his coordinator searches, Springer fits the profile of most coaches Mayo has been targeting: younger, with diverse coaching experience and a belief in connecting with players. Springer, like most of the candidates for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator search, also worked under Rams head coach Sean McVay.
The NFL Network first reported Springer’s hire.