While it looked like New England would retain the core of its coaching staff with both Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia returning despite interviewing for open head coaching jobs in January, there is still at least a chance the Patriots could lose at least one key assistant coach this offseason.

According to Fox Sports, Patriots tight end coach Brian Daboll will interview for the open offensive coordinator job on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama. The job opened up when Lane Kiffin left to become head coach at Florida Atlantic University and then short-term replacement Steve Sarkisian departed to take over the offensive coordinator job with the Falcons.

Daboll has a history with Saban, having been a graduate assistant on the coach's staff at Michigan State in the late 1990s before joining Bill Belichick in New England in 2000. Daboll left the Patriots to join Eric Mangini's staff with the Jets as quarterbacks coach from 2007-08. He then had three separate stops as an NFL offensive coordinator in Cleveland (2009-10), Miami (2011) and Kansas City (2012) before returning to New England for the last four seasons.

In recent years the assumption has been that Daboll was the likely man to replace McDaniels as New England's offensive coordinator if/when the assistant and former Broncos boss ever takes another head coaching job.

Daboll isn't the only candidate with New England ties reportedly in the running for the Alabama job. Former Patriots tight ends coach (2012-13) and Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey is apparently also in the mix.