Matt Patricia won’t reprise his role as the Patriots’ unofficial offensive coordinator in 2023, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll do it elsewhere, either.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that Patricia interviewed with the Broncos about the vacant defensive coordinator job on Sean Payton’s staff.

The former Lions head coach was “assessing his future” in January after his much-publicized struggles at the helm of the Patriots’ offense last season. Taking a job on the opposite side of the ball would be a return to the roots he built his career on.

Patricia initially gained head coaching buzz during his first run with the Patriots as Bill Belichick’s defensive coordinator from 2012-17. He then spent three seasons with the Lions, compiling a 13-29-1 record with a middling defense. He returned to Belichick’s staff as the assistant head coach in 2021 and was given the reins of the offense in 2022 — though his official title was offensive line coach.

Second-year quarterback Mac Jones regressed under the tutelage of Patricia and Joe Judge, the ex-Giants coach also brought back to the Patriots’ staff by Belichick last season. Jones was seen yelling at his coaches during games multiple times throughout the season.

Reports of New England owner Robert Kraft’s displeasure with the offensive staff multiplied as the team missed out on the postseason for the second time in three seasons.

Belichick re-hired Bill O’Brien as the offensive coordinator this offseason, a role he served in with the Patriots in 2011 and a move that left Patricia’s future with the team even murkier than before.

A defensive coordinator job with the Broncos on Payton’s first staff is no gimme, either. Former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan is considered a top option, with former Denver coach Vance Joseph in the running as well.