They’re getting the band back together.
The Patriots are bringing back Josh McDaniels for his third go-around as the offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
McDaniels held the same role from 2006-2008 after working his way up from a personnel assistant and then again from 2012 to 2022.
In between he left for head coaching jobs in Denver and Las Vegas, which was his most recent job and ended in ugly fashion as discontent between the coach and his players grew until his firing in 2023.
McDaniels has never had a successful stint as the head coach, but has shown he can clearly lead an offense in an effective manner and has a familiarity with new head coach Mike Vrabel.
The OC was there for all eight seasons that Vrabel played for the Patriots and McDaniels earned six Super Bowl rings during his time working in New England.
The Patriots had also interviewed Vikings assistant coach Grant Udinski, Bears interim coach Thomas Brown and Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady.
McDaniels will now play a key role in helping Drake Maye develop into their potential franchise quarterback.
While Maye was thrust into a tough situation during the 2024 season, in which the Patriots went 4-13, the rookie managed to show plenty of promise for New England after the team selected him with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He finished the season with 2,276 yards in the air and 15 touchdowns.
With Vrabel at the helm and now McDaniels returning as OC, there is intrigue in how he’ll fare in 2025, especially with the Patriots owning the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft and plenty of money to spend in free agency.
McDaniels will also be tasked with turning around an offense that was ranked 31st among 32 teams in yards per game (284.6) and the third-fewest points per game (17.0).
