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The Patriots brought back Josh McDaniels for a third stint in Foxboro, Mass., but many questions were left unanswered this week.
One key point is how New England will compensate its offensive coordinator. The Raiders reportedly signed McDaniels to a six-year, $60 million contract. Coach’s contracts are guaranteed, so the 48-year-old is owed that money, but it’s not like McDaniels will be working for the Patriots for free.
“Typically you’ve got these offsets in these coaches’ contracts, right? So, he’ll get paid something by the Patriots and then the Raiders essentially make up the difference,” Perry said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” on Wednesday.
“The other thing to keep in mind here too is that when he’s given the offensive coordinator title, by league rule, you have to pay him a salary commensurate with that job. And those jobs, generally speaking, are paid pretty well. Will he be in the $3, $4, $5 million range where you’re at the top of the market when it comes to offensive coordinators?”
Perry revealed Alex Van Pelt was paid under $3 million, which was near the top of the league in terms of offensive coordinator salaries. The Patriots might not go that far with McDaniels, but there is a workaround to the Raiders buyout situation.
“What they could do, because it makes no difference one way or the other to McDaniels … you could pay him at the very low end of the offensive coordinator scale league-wide, and then have the Raiders make up the rest until he’s no longer under contract for the Raiders,” Perry said.
“So if the low end is, say, $1 million to be an offensive coordinator in the NFL, the Patriots could pay him $1 million (and) the Raiders could make up the difference. To me, it doesn’t really matter either way — although it matters to the Krafts.”
The numbers might not matter to Mike Vrabel, but it could influence how fans view McDaniels’ return and the potential financial motivations around it.
