Sources: Patriots to bring back McDaniels as OC
Sources: Patriots, McDaniels to reunite; Williams in as DC
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Bruschi excited by Patriots’ hiring of Vrabel (1:42)
Tedy Bruschi reacts to the Patriots hiring former teammate Mike Vrabel as head coach. (1:42)
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Mike ReissJan 21, 2025, 06:11 PM ET
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- Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are expected to hire Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
McDaniels will return to the franchise for a third time, this time to work under coach Mike Vrabel and help tutor promising quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft.
The Patriots are also set to name Detroit Lions defensive line coach/run game coordinator Terrell Williams as their defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN, in what will be a reunion with Vrabel.
New England interviewed McDaniels recently. The team also interviewed Minnesota Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski, Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown and Los Angeles Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady for the position, sources said.
McDaniels did not coach in the NFL in 2024 after serving as the Las Vegas Raiders’ coach in 2022 and into the 2023 season.
He has never coached on a staff with Vrabel, but the two have a connection from the time Vrabel played for the Patriots (2001-08) as a member of three Super Bowl championship teams.
Williams spent 2018 to 2023 with the Tennessee Titans under Vrabel, coaching the defensive line and being elevated to assistant head coach his final season. Vrabel had Williams serve as the head coach in the Titans’ preseason opener in 2023.
McDaniels broke into the NFL in 2001 as an assistant coach under Bill Belichick in New England. After leaving in 2009 to become the Denver Broncos’ coach until his firing in December 2010 and serving a year as the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2011, he returned to New England from 2012 to 2021.
In 2021, McDaniels mentored quarterback Mac Jones to a successful rookie season that resulted in him being named an alternate for the Pro Bowl, and now he will look to duplicate that with Maye, who started 12 games as a rookie in 2024 and went 225-of-338 for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Maye added 54 rushes for 421 yards and two touchdowns.
Barstool Sports first reported that McDaniels’ hire was imminent.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter contributed to this report.