Pats Pulpit
McDaniels is back in Foxboro as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.
The rumors had already pointed in that direction, but Tuesday brought some clarity: Josh McDaniels is back with the New England Patriots. The 48-year-old will take over the vacant offensive coordinator position, returning to that role for a third time overall.
Why did new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel bring McDaniels back into the fold, three years after his latest departure? Let’s take a closer look at him and his history, to try to answer that question.
Name: Josh McDaniels
Opening day age: 49 (4/22/1976)
Last position: N/A
Coaching stops: Michigan State (1999), New England Patriots (2001-08), Denver Broncos (2009-10), St. Louis Rams (2011), New England Patriots (2011-21), Las Vegas Raiders (2022-23)
Interview status: Completed (1/21/2025)
Playing experience: Originally a quarterback at McKinley High School in Canton, OH, under his father, Thom, McDaniels changed positions to wide receiver upon his arrival at John Carroll in 1995. He spent his entire four-year college career with the Blue Streaks, catching 41 passes for 732 yards from a quarterback group including fellow future Patriots staffer Nick Caserio.
Coaching experience: After graduating from John Carroll, McDaniels was hired as a graduate assistant at Michigan State. He spent one year in East Lansing under then-Spartans head coach Nick Saban, eventually returning to his home state to work a sales job in Cleveland. By 2001, however, he found his way back to football when Bill Belichick’s Patriots hired him as a personnel assistant.
Over the next few years, McDaniels steadily climbed up the organizational ladder. By his second year with the team he was promoted to defensive assistant; two years later, he was made the team’s quarterbacks coach — a role he would hold for all but one of his future seasons with the team — under offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.
Following Weis’ departure in 2005, he took over play-calling duties. The following year, Belichick officially named McDaniels as New England’s offensive coordinator. As such, he was one of the architects behind one of the best offenses the league has ever seen: the 2007 Patriots went through the regular season undefeated while averaging a then-record 36.8 yards per game.
McDaniels’ first stint in New England with the Patriots ended in 2009, after he had helped the team average 25.6 points per game — eighth in the NFL — despite losing Tom Brady just 15 snaps into the 2008 season opener. He was named Broncos head coach in January 2009 at only 32, but ended up lasting only one-and-a-half seasons with the club.
After going 8-8 in his first year at the job, the Broncos went 3-9 to start his second and he was fired. His next job took him to St. Louis, where he spent one season as the Rams’ offensive coordinator. The team went 2-14 in 2011, averging a league-worst 12.1 points per game.
McDaniels was released from his contract the following January, allowing him...
