It is said that Matt Patricia will return to the Detroit Lions.

It is reported that Matt Patricia is headed back to the franchise where he established himself as a defensive maestro, following three unsatisfactory years as head coach of the Detroit Lions.

Patricia is returning to the New England Patriots Friday afternoon, according to a number of reports, to help out in a variety of capacities as an assistant.

The Boston Globe was the first to report on the news. The former defensive coordinator for the Patriots left in 2018 to take a head coaching position with the Lions. But, the 46-year-old was let off in midseason in November, along with general manager Bob Quinn of the Lions, as the team headed toward its third consecutive NFC North last-place result. His record in the end was 13-29-1.

Patricia worked his way up from several position coach roles to defensive coordinator over his 14 seasons with the Patriots, which included two Super Bowl victories, before he left. Since Patricia resigned, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has not designated anyone else as the “defensive coordinator” on his staff.

Patricia is by no means the only former Patriots assistant to return for a second term with the organization, as the Globe pointed out. Josh Daniels, the offensive coordinator for the Patriots right now, will join him. Daniels has twice left New England before coming back. Before returning to the Patriots in 2012, McDaniel held positions as offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and head coach of the Denver Broncos after leaving in 2009. Additionally, he very briefly consented to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts before deciding against it.