Patriots’ Mike Vrabel hires Josh McDaniels for OC job

The New England Patriots they bring back their old face. Mike Vrabel is already the head coachreturning to Foxboro after winning three titles as a linebacker. He has already brought people with whom he has a personal history ieincluding Ryan Cowden who will be a key part of the front office. On Tuesday, Vrabel hired Josh McDaniels to return as Patriots offensive coordinator, according to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports.

McDaniels was the offensive coordinator for the Patriots on two separate occasions. He began his NFL career as a low-level assistant, rising to the position of player in 2006. After three years, he took the job as head coach of the Denver Broncos. That didn’t go well, and after a one-year stint with the Rams, he returned to New England in 2012.

McDaniels remained the Patriots’ offensive coordinator through 2021. He was then Raiders coach in two brutal seasons ending in 2023. His greatest success in the NFL came as a player in New England, but it was all with Tom Brady. While Drake May has shown promise, their offense is a far cry from the Super Bowl champions led by McDaniels.

The Patriots are going back to the Bill Belichick well

Vrabel and McDaniels being sidelined would send a pretty clear message to Patriots fans. Robert Kraft wants to keep the Bill Belichick magic in the building. Although longtime assistant Jerod Mayo was fired after one year, Kraft wants to keep as much of the Super Bowl DNA as possible. McDaniels is part of that, but he could also be a real playcaller for Drake May.

McDaniels had his best seasons with Tom Brady, but he also had bad quarterbacks at both head coaching positions. Tim Tebow won a playoff game with McDaniels at the helm, but he was never an elite NFL quarterback. And Derek Carr wasn’t a Vegas guy. Maie could be the quarterback of the future in New England and pairing their last franchise QB with McDaniels worked out perfectly.

The Patriots need to surround Mayo with better talent this offseason. Ty Higgins is a free agent who will likely leave Cincinnati due to the contract situation with Ja’Marr Chase. Bringing in that talent at wide receiver would help the development of their quarterback. Their offensive line also needs improvement, but a proven player being called is a great start.

Christopher Hennessy in Journalism from Fordham University in 2022. He also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, NY and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders and Jets fan.