Josh McDaniels is indeed returning to New England. The 2025 season will mark his third stint as offensive coordinator of the Patriots, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
McDaniels emerged as a candidate to watch in the aftermath of Mike Vrabel being hired as New England’s head coach. He has served as the team’s offensive coordinator for a combined total of 13 years across his first two stints. He interviewed for the role earlier today, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Schultz adds McDaniels has continued to live in Foxborough since his last New England gig came to an end. Prior to the news of his hire coming out, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported the 48-year-old was viewed as the favorite. Now, the six-time Super Bowl champ will again take charge of the team’s offense, although of course this time he will do so while working under Vrabel rather than Bill Belichick.
McDaniels’ first stint with the organization saw him quickly rise through the ranks. After starting as a personnel assistant in 2001, he made his way up to QBs coach in 2004 before taking over as OC in 2006. With Tom Brady leading the way, McDaniels oversaw an elite offense during his first three years as a coordinator, including a record-breaking unit in 2007.
McDaniels parlayed that performance into the head coaching job with the Broncos. An 11-17 record (along with a videotaping scandal) led to his ouster after only a year-plus, and he landed back in New England ahead of the 2012 season. That second stint lasted a decade, with McDaniels at the helm as the team transitioned from Brady to Cam Newton to Mac Jones. McDaniels got the most out of Jones during the QB’s rookie campaign, as the first-round pick tossed 22 touchdowns, went 10-7, and earned a Pro Bowl nod.
McDaniels then parlayed that performance into his second head coaching gig, this time with the Raiders. He had similar results in Las Vegas, as his squad went 9-16 before McDaniels was fired during the 2023 campaign. The coach has spent the past year-plus out of football, but Albert Breer of TheMMQB says the coach has been keeping busy. Per Breer, McDaniels used the past year to refine his own offensive approach. This meant studying offenses in both the NFL and college, and Breer believes McDaniels will be able to apply more “user-friendly” lessons to a “pretty complex offense.”
Even during his time off, the coach was continually connected to his long-time organization. There were rumblings he could join the staff in 2024 if Belichick stuck around; the team instead pivoted to Jerod Mayo, who brought in Alex Van Pelt to lead his offense. Of course, that coaching staff was cleared out following a dismal 2024 campaign, making way for Vrabel to take over operations (and for McDaniels to rejoin the familiar role).
McDaniels’ ugly head coaching stints have probably shut the door on any near-future opportunities, so Vrabel made have landed a long-term OC. Now, McDaniels will be tasked with guiding a offense that showed some offensive promise with rookie Drake Maye under center.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.