Josh McDaniels Has Rejoined The New England Patriots As The Offensive Coordinator For The Third Time!

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Josh McDaniels has recently made headlines after the news broke out about his return to the New England Patriots.

While the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as the head coach, Josh McDaniels rejoined as the offensive coordinator under the newly appointed head coach.

The Patriots hired McDaniels on January 21, 2025, marking his third tenure in this role.

Josh McDaniels Also Worked As A Plastic Sales Representative During His Early Days!

Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels has been a highly sought-after coach from the start of his career.

While McDaniels never played professionally, he brings his coaching expertise from his collegiate playing career and extensive coaching career.

Before embarking on his glorious coaching journey, he played college football at John Carroll University.

The collegiate football coach, Greg Debeljak, recruited him from Canton McKinley High School.

QB Josh McDaniels is playing against Massillon on Saturday, Nov. 5, 1994. (Source: Canton Repository)

Although McDaniels was a quarterback during high school, he played as the wide receiver at John Carroll.

He lost the QB position to Nick Caserio, who joined the New England Patriots the same year (2001) as McDaniels.

Moreover, their teammates, notably London Fletcher, Jerry Schuplinski, Tom Telesco, Dave Ziegler, and Brian Polian, have had successful careers as NFL players or coaches.

However, McDaniels pursued a coaching career instead of a professional playing career.

Hence, he started his career as a senior graduate assistant at Michigan State University in 1999 under Nick Saban.

Following his stint with Michigan State, McDaniels relocated to Cleveland, where he became a plastics sales representative.

Nonetheless, he promptly joined the Patriots as a personnel assistant in 2001.

He experienced significant growth during his tenure with the Patriots. While he started as a personnel assistant, he quickly climbed the ladder and became the team’s defensive coaching assistant from 2002 to 2003.

Then, he became the team’s quarterbacks coach. Moreover, he led the Patriots to substantial success as the Patriots won three Super Bowls: Super Bowl XXXVI, Super Bowl XXXVIII, and Super Bowl XXXIX during his first four seasons with them.

Josh McDaniels with QB Tom Brady. (Source: Bleach Report)

Despite his significant contribution, the team did not select them as the offensive coordinator after the departure of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.

However, the New York Times confirmed his role as the team’s OC in a 2008 article.

Furthermore, McDaniels guided the team to an unprecedented offensive performance, amassing 589 points and 75 touchdowns.

Although rumors were swirling that he might leave the Patriots for a head coaching position, he stayed after retracting his name.

And despite Tom Brady‘s injury, McDaniels led the Patriots to an 11-5 record in 2008.

Josh McDaniels And The New England Patriots Are Each Other’s Luck Charms!

On January 18, 2011, Josh McDaniels agreed to become the OC for the St. Louis Rams under head coach Steve Spagnuolo.

Following the 2011 season, the Rams dismissed head coach Steve Spagnuolo. Despite still being under contract in 2012, the Rams permitted McDaniels to go.

Then, McDaniels again began a second stint with the Patriots after they hired him as an offensive assistant during the playoffs.

They eventually made him the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach the same year.

After leading the Patriots toward Super Bowl XLIX (2014) and LI (2016) victories, they faced a defeat in the Super Bowl LII (2018) against the Philadelphia Eagles.

While McDaniels temporarily accepted the head coaching post with the Indianapolis Colts, he withdrew the same day, remaining with the Patriots.

Until 2018, he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and eventually won his third championship in Super Bowl LIII.

Then, in 2020, the team appointed Jedd Fisch as their quarterbacks coach.

Hence, McDaniels became the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on January 31, 2022.

While the Raiders won in Week 4 with a 32–23 victory over the Denver Broncos, the team struggled throughout the 2022 season, losing close games and finishing with a 6–11 record.

One of the significant failures was a loss to the Indianapolis Colts, headed by interim coach Jeff Saturday, who had no NFL coaching experience.

However, McDaniels’ tenure with the Raiders was fraught with difficulties and scrutiny.

After QB Derek Carr left, the Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback.

Likewise, McDaniels’ coaching faltered more, garnering immense hate and scrutiny. He made a questionable decision to kick a field goal late in a game against the Steelers, leading to a loss.

In 2023, the Raiders eventually fired him and general manager Dave Ziegler after a 3–5 start.

Therefore, the NFLPA ranked McDaniels as the lowest-rated head coach of 2023.

After his tenure with the Raiders ended in October 2023, McDaniels maintained a low profile throughout 2024.

And finally, on January 21, 2025, the New England Patriots hired him as their offensive coordinator for a third stint.

After not being active for an entire year, some people have expressed skepticism against this decision.

Overall, the atmosphere is optimistic. Many fans have anticipated that Josh McDaniels‘ return would result in a more vibrant and powerful offensive for the Patriots.

In Case You Didn’t Know

  • Josh McDaniels’ father, Thom McDaniels, was the 1997 USA Today High School Coach of the Year in Ohio.
  • His brother, Ben McDaniels, is the wide receiver coach and passing game coordinator for the Houston Texans.
  • McDaniels and his wife, Laura, have four children.
Rimsha Khatri
Rimsha Khatri
As a content writer at Players Bio, Rimsha Khatri's primary goal is to write well-researched news articles about athletes and sports. She prioritizes leveraging her literary abilities and creative flair to deliver entertaining and highly informative content to readers and subscribers.

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