The New England Patriots fired first-year head coach Jerod Mayo moments after their final game this season, and they have replaced him with Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans head coach.
Vrabel’s staff is taking shape, and one man who headlines that group is Josh McDaniels, who had two stints as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator during their dynasty years and is now back in that role.
Jeff Howe, an NFL insider for The Athletic, said he loves this hire and gave it a very high score during an appearance on CLNS Media.
“A 10. Absolutely. It’s a 10. … McDaniels was priority 1, 2 and 3,” Howe said.
“Absolutely. It’s a 10…McDaniels was priority 1, 2, and 3.”@jeffphowe thinks Josh McDaniels is the perfect get for New England, and they very highly valued his return.
Check out the newest Pats Interference: https://t.co/vbdegZbyVM
⚡️ by @PrizePicks & @Gametime pic.twitter.com/jgaS3JXyNg
— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) January 24, 2025
McDaniels started out with the Patriots in 2001 as a personnel assistant and worked his way up the ranks to become their offensive coordinator in 2006.
After three years in that role, he had a disappointing two-year stint as head coach of the Denver Broncos before eventually returning to his old post in New England in 2012 for 10 more seasons.
Of course, he will not have legendary quarterback Tom Brady or skill players such as Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman or Wes Welker this time around, but he will have a young and promising quarterback in Drake Maye to develop.
New England went 4-13 for the second year in a row, and since Brady left following the 2019 season, they have made the playoffs once.
They have the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and plenty of salary cap space to address their many roster needs, and from there, perhaps McDaniels will engineer some significant improvements on the field.
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