Josh McDaniels has served as an NFL head coach on two occasions. A 3rd opportunity could arise depending on the success of his latest Patriots offensive coordinator stint, but that is just not something receiving consideration presently.
“I like living in Recent England,” McDaniels said when talking to the media about any future head coaching aspirations (via MassLive’s Karen Guregian). “That’s the in need of it. I just attempt to deal with now, I’m really having fun with coaching for [head coach] Mike [Vrabel], and the staff and the fellows we’ve here within the organization. That may be surprising if I moved my kids out of Westwood.”
McDaniels has worked because the Patriots’ OC on three separate occasions during his profession. The 49-year-old has also been the pinnacle coach of the Broncos and Raiders, although neither of those gigs went in accordance with plan. With Denver in 2010 and nonetheless with Vegas in 2023, McDaniels was fired midway through his second season in charge. Overall, his head coaching record sits at 20-33.
In the intervening time, McDaniels’ attention is concentrated on overseeing an offense which has made notable strides in comparison with last season. Central to that development, in fact, is the progress shown by second-year quarterback Drake Maye. 2024’s third overall pick has increased his production across the board during his first campaign working under McDaniels. The Patriots sit at 4-2 on the 12 months and rank eleventh within the league in scoring with a median of 25 points per game.
If Recent England can maintain that level of production through the rest of the season, a return to the playoffs could possibly be in store. That may little question help McDaniels’ coaching stock, and it could leave him in a situation not unlike Kliff Kingsbury‘s last 12 months. During his return to the NFL, Kingsbury helped guide Jayden Daniels and the Commanders’ offense to a formidable showing, resulting in questions on a second attempt at head coaching duties. Kingsbury was linked to multiple openings, however the presence of Daniels helped inform his decision to stay in place.
Similarly, McDaniels could draw interest on the coaching market if his third Patriots stint continues on an encouraging path. His past shortcomings would give suitors loads of pause, alternatively, and it stays to be seen if he would hunt down one other likelihood to steer a training staff anyway. At this point, it appears as if that will not be the case.