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The New England Patriots’ head coach choice was a familiar face, and Mike Vrabel kept that trend going with his offensive coordinator hire heading into the 2025 season.
The Patriots are expected to reunite with Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator, a role he previously had with the organization, per multiple reports. Barstool Sports first reported McDaniels returning to the Patriots was imminent.
This will be the third time McDaniels returns to the Patriots, though the first with Vrabel at the helm and quarterback Drake Maye to mold after his rookie campaign in 2024.
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McDaniels was among the offensive coordinator candidates the Patriots had been interviewing, which included Thomas Brown, the passing game coordinator for the Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady, per ESPN.
McDaniels was out of the game in 2024 after being fired mid-season by the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2023 campaign. He was also head coach in 2022, but things did not pan out, and owner Mark Davis made the call to move on.
While the Raiders remain searching for their own head coach after the firing of Antonio Pierce, who served on an interim basis after McDaniels’ departure in 2023, the Patriots found their guy in Vrabel after parting ways with Jerod Mayo following his first-and-only season.
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Additionally, though Vrabel and McDaniels have never coached together, they have a connection with their time together as player and coach respectively, when they won three Super Bowls during the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era.
McDaniels’ big break into the NFL came with the Patriots in 2001 as an assistant under Belichick. He eventually worked his way up to the point where the Denver Broncos hired him in 2009 to become their next head coach.
However, that was short-lived, as McDaniels was fired in December 2010, when he would eventually return to the Patriots after being the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2011.
McDaniels would enjoy his time as New England’s coordinator from then until making the move to the Raiders for his second attempt at head coaching. During the 2021 season, McDaniels was also tasked with grooming Mac Jones, the team’s first-round quarterback choice in the NFL Draft, and he would help them earn a playoff berth.
The Patriots will hope McDaniels can lead the way for Maye, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft who showed spurts of greatness in his first NFL season despite the team’s overall struggles. Maye threw for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns to 10 interceptions with two rushing touchdowns on 421 yards over 12 games.
As Vrabel continues to build out his coaching staff this offseason, bringing in a familiar face with an extensive track record is something that could go a long way for a Patriots team that continues to look for its next dynasty.
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