4 things to know about Josh McDaniels, reportedly the next Patriots offensive coordinator
Josh McDaniels developed Mac Jones into a Pro Bowl QB during the 2021 season.
The Patriots have reportedly found their new offensive coordinator … and it’s a familiar face.
New England has reportedly hired Josh McDaniels as its offensive coordinator, joining Mike Vrabel’s staff in what would be his third stint in Foxborough.
McDaniels will have a tough task in front of him when it comes to reviving a Patriots offense that ranked 31st in yards per game (291.9) in 2024, while also continuing to develop Drake Maye as the team’s franchise QB.
Here are four things to know about McDaniels.
He has plenty of familiarity with the Patriots
This is far from McDaniels’ first rodeo in Foxborough.
McDaniels served on Bill Belichick’s coaching staff across two lengthy stints (2001-08, 2012-21), winning six Super Bowls along the way.
Vrabel and McDaniels overlapped in Foxborough during the former’s eight seasons as a key cog on New England’s defense, with McDaniels actually spending two seasons as a defensive assistant with the team in 2002-03.
But McDaniels quickly saw his stock soar after switching over to offense— starting in 2004 when he became the team’s quarterbacks coach and cultivated an effective partnership with Tom Brady.
During his extended tenure as OC of a Brady-led offense, McDaniels saw his offensive group finish in the top 10 in scoring across all 10 seasons when Brady was the primary starter.
McDaniels put himself on the radar of top NFL assistants as one of the architects of the 2007 Patriots’ undefeated regular season — crafting an offense that set league records in touchdowns (75), points scored (589), and point differential (+315) at the time.
His success with the Patriots in both 2007 and 2008 (with Brady sidelined for almost the entire season with a torn ACL) led to a 32-year-old McDaniels eventually getting named as head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009.
After returning to New England in 2012, McDaniels once again helped Brady and Co. maintain their standard as one of the top offenses in the NFL — winning eight straight AFC East titles, earning seven consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game, and winning three more Super Bowl titles.
Following Brady’s departure for Tampa Bay in March 2020, McDaniels stayed on as New England’s OC for another two seasons — working with Cam Newton in 2020 before helping rookie Mac Jones find his footing in 2021.
His disastrous head-coaching tenure could benefit Patriots
McDaniels has built a strong reputation as an experienced offensive coordinator with a knack for developing quarterbacks.
But his standing as an NFL head coach … has left a lot to be desired.
During both of his previous stints as a head coach with both the Broncos (2009-10) and Raiders (2022-23), McDaniels didn’t even make it through his second full season with his new team.
McDaniels started off strong with the Broncos in 2009, winning his first six games with the team — including a Week 5 overtime win over the Patriots in Denver. But the Broncos quickly flamed out, losing eight of their last 10 games before missing the playoffs.
After Denver started 3-9 the following season, McDaniels was fired with a month left in the 2010 campaign. He spent one season as the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2011 before returning to New England after St. Louis’ season came to a close.
McDaniels burned more bridges in the NFL ranks in 2018 — with the longtime OC announced as the new head coach of the Colts just a few days after New England lost to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
But that same day, the Colts canceled their introductory press conference with McDaniels — with the team announcing in a statement that McDaniels told Indy after agreeing to contract terms that he would not be joining the franchise.
The sudden about-face with the Colts prompted McDaniels’ longtime agent, Bob LaMonte, to terminate his relationship with McDaniels.
McDaniels went on to win another Super Bowl in New England the following season, eventually setting him up for another head-coaching opportunity with the Raiders in 2022.
Las Vegas went 6-11 in McDaniels’ first season with the team, with the Raiders eventually firing him just eight games into the 2023 campaign amid a 3-5 start.
Following the end of the 2023 season, McDaniels was tabbed as the lowest-rated head coach in the NFLPA’s annual player survey.
Considering that McDaniels may not be on the radar for another NFL head-coaching opportunity any time soon, it should benefit the Patriots.
With McDaniels in place, New England have an established and effective OC nailed down who can work with Maye for the long haul — rather than a young offensive mind who could be a flight risk in a few years (such as former Lions OC Ben Johnson).
His best work might have come without Tom Brady
Of course, McDaniels’ track record of rolling out top-10 offenses was aided by the fact that he had Brady as QB1 for a majority of his time in Foxborough.
But McDaniels’ work with other QBs in New England should also offer optimism that he’ll be able to get the most out of Maye in 2025 and beyond.
Once Brady suffered a torn ACL in Game 1 of the 2008 season, McDaniels turned Matt Cassel — who didn’t start a single college football game at USC — into a viable starter (21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) en route to an 11-5 season.
During Brady’s four-game “Deflategate” suspension at the start of the 2016 season, McDaniels helped New England jump out to a 3-1 record behind both Jimmy Garroppolo and Jacoby Brissett.
Following Brady’s free-agent exit, New England finished the 2020 season 27th in the league in scoring. But McDaniels overhauled the Patriots’ offense to better suit a mobile QB in Cam Newton, with New England finishing fourth in the league in rushing yards (2,346) and third in rushing attempts (502).
McDaniels’ latest season in New England in 2021 might have been his most impressive.
Despite having a rookie in Mac Jones at the helm, the Patriots finished sixth in the NFL in scoring and eighth in yards per passing attempt — with Jones earning a Pro Bowl nod for his efforts.
Of course, both Jones and the Patriots’ offense immediately bottomed out in 2022 once McDaniels left for Las Vegas.
Given Maye’s blend of arm strength and agility, McDaniels should be able to tailor New England’s offense to his QB’s skills — dialing up plenty of RPOs for the gifted QB.
McDaniels has already given his take on Maye’s development
McDaniels might have spent the 2024 season outside of coaching the NFL.
But the longtime Patriots coach did give his two cents about his approach with Maye’s development earlier this season during an appearance on Julian Edelman’s “Games with Names” podcast.
“I think you have to have a plan. And that obviously starts from the head coach’s perspective,” McDaniels told Edelman about developing a rookie QB. “And you have to be able to agree on how you’re going to unveil that thing to the player and ultimately bring him along. … I think it’s just having a really good feel for where’s the player at.
“Can’t just keep throwing stuff at him. We always talk about it. They have a bucket. You guys all had a bucket, and yours was a big bucket at the end. You could handle whatever we gave you. Well, when you take a young quarterback, it’s more like a cup. You got to put some stuff in his cup, and when it gets to the top, you got to stop. You know what I mean? And then make sure that he has this and he can do it well.”
Count Rob Gronkowski among those who believe that Maye will benefit from McDaniels’ tutelage.
“I truly believe he would be the right one for Drake Maye,” Gronkowski said of McDaniels on the “Up & Adams” show last week. “I mean, he dealt with Tom Brady throughout his whole entire career. … He knows how to develop quarterbacks.
“And not just quarterbacks, he knows how to develop players just like myself. … At the quarterback position that’s where he’s a masterpiece. And I believe he would take Drake Maye to a whole other level.”
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