Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders HC Josh McDaniels.
Josh McDaniels got a second chance to be a head coach when the Las Vegas Raiders hired him in 2022 but for the second time, he wasn’t able to make it through a second full season before getting fired.
It’s difficult to imagine another team taking a chance on McDaniels as a head coach anytime soon but there be one team willing to make that move. According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, he could be in the mix for the New England Patriots head coaching job if head coach Bill Belichick leaves.
“If Belichick does move on, speculation has centered on [Jerod] Mayo as his successor. That’s not a guarantee, though, and other options — particular coaches with Patriots ties, such as Josh McDaniels or Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores — shouldn’t be ruled out,” wrote Rapoport and Pelissero in a December 30 column.
McDaniels has spent 13 total years as the offensive coordinator for the Patriots under Belichick. He was on the staff for all six Super Bowls the team won since 2001. Though McDaniels didn’t work out in Las Vegas, he has deep ties in New England and is a more logical culture fit.
Could Josh McDaniels Have Success in New England?
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is a big fan of Josh McDaniels and has worked with him for many years. If there’s any owner who is willing to take another shot on the coach, it will likely be Kraft. A big reason why McDaniels struggled in Las Vegas and Denver has been due to the Patriots-style culture he’s tried to create.
In New England, everybody in the building is used to a stricter culture that stresses getting the little things right. Even McDaniels may feel like a breath of fresh air after over two decades of Bill Belichick. However, McDaniels has not proven he has what it takes to be a head coach.
The Raiders gave him everything he needed to create the culture he wanted and he went 9-16 before getting fired. There’s no denying that McDaniels is a good offensive coordinator but he seems to struggle with the leadership aspect of being a head coach. New England might be the only place he works and it’s easy to see Kraft wanting to give him another chance. Time will tell.
Trust your strengths while adapting and evolving — Josh McDaniels has learned a lot from Coach Belichick.
Do Your Job Part III: Bill Belichick and the 2018 @Patriots airs TOMORROW at 8 pm ET on @nflnetwork.
Bill Belichick Reunion?
The most likely outcome for Josh McDaniels seems to be a reunion with Bill Belichick. The two have not had success apart from each other in the last two seasons. If Belichick stays in New England, McDaniels returning to be his offensive coordinator would be the least surprising development of the offseason.
If Belichick goes to another team, there’s a good chance McDaniels could be his offensive coordinator. The two have a great working relationship and have won a ton of games together. Belichick’s offenses have been terrible without McDaniels calling his plays. Belichick is a defensive mastermind and having a strong presence like McDaniels to totally own the offensive side of the ball is when he’s at his best. It’s still hard to see McDaniels being a head coach again but he should be able to get an offensive coordinator job unless he decides to take a year off.