Van Pelt joins the Rams in 2025 as a Senior Offensive Assistant after serving as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator in 2024. He will enter his 30th season in the NFL and his 21st as a coach.
With New England, he helped rookie QB Drake Maye earn a Pro Bowl nod after he posted 2,276 passing yards and 15 touchdowns in 12 games last season. He was the first Patriots quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl since Mac Jones in 2021.
Prior to joining the Patriots, Van Pelt was the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns for four seasons (2020-23). During his time in Cleveland, Van Pelt helped the offense to some of its best numbers generating 408 total points in 2020, the second-most points in team history and 396 points in 2023, the fifth-most points scored in a season in team history. Under Van Pelt, the Browns rushing game finished in the top-10 in the NFL in three of his four seasons. They finished third in rushing average in 2020 and led the league in 2021 with 5.1 yards per rush. The 2022 Cleveland team totaled the second-most scrimmage yards in franchise history with 6,200 yards.
In 2018, Van Pelt joined the Cincinnati Bengals as their quarterbacks coach for two seasons. In his final season with the Bengals, he helped QB Andy Dalton record the fourth-most completions (314) and passing yards (3,494) in a season in his career. Under Van Pelt's guidance, Dalton recorded 21 touchdown passes in 2018, the fifth-highest single-season total of his career.
Van Pelt joined the Green Bay Packers in 2012 where he spent six seasons coaching multiple positions on the offense. He moved back to coaching the quarterbacks in 2016 and 2017. QB Aaron Rodgers bounced back in 2016 when he tallied 4,428 passing yards and 40 touchdowns and helped the Packers to a 10-6 record. He finished second in Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year voting and was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and the sixth of his career.
Serving as the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach in 2015, Rodgers recorded 3,821 passing yards including 31 passing touchdowns and threw just eight interceptions. He was named to his fifth Pro Bowl the following the season. WR James Jones led the Packers with 50 receptions for 890 yards and eight touchdowns. His 890 receiving yards were a single-season career-high. WR Randall Cobb also tallied 79 receptions for 829 yards and six touchdowns. In 2014, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach. Van Pelt worked closely with Rodgers who passed for 4,381 yards, 38 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. Rodgers led the Packers to a 12-4 record and was named the Associated Press Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career. Rodgers was also named to the Associated Press All-Pro First-Team and the Pro Bowl. He finished second in the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year voting.
In his second season with the Packers as running backs coach, the team selected RB Eddie Lacy in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and he thrived in his rookie season under Van Pelt's guidance. Lacy totaled 284 carries for 1,178 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He broke the Packers' rookie records for most rushing yards and touchdowns in a season and was the team's first 1,000-yard rusher since Ryan Grant in 2009. After his standout season, he was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year and was named to the Associated Press All-Pro Second-Team. He was also honored by the PFWA and was named to their All-Rookie Team.
Van Pelt joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010 as their quarterbacks coach. He spent two seasons in Tampa Bay (2010-11) and mentored QB Josh Freeman. Under Van Pelt's guidance, Freeman tallied the seventh-most completions (637), ninth-most passing yards (7,043), and 12th-most passing touchdowns (41).
He started his NFL career as a volunteer offensive quality control coach with Buffalo in 2005 and then served two seasons as an offensive quality control coach (2006-07), two seasons as the quarterbacks coach (2008-09), and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2009.
Upon his retirement as a player, Van Pelt began his coaching career in NFL Europe as the Frankfurt Galaxy's quarterbacks coach in 2005.
Prior to coaching, he played 10 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs (1993) and the Buffalo Bills (1994-2003). He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft after a standout career at the University of Pittsburgh.
Van Pelt was a four-year starter at the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92), where he set school records for most passing yards (11,267), completions (867) and attempts (1,503).
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Van Pelt and his wife, Brooke, have two daughters, Payton Dale and Katherine Paige, and a son, Jack MacGregor.
