Patriots turn to old friend to be offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel
The New England Patriots are bringing back a familiar face to be Mike Vrabel’s offensive coordinator. As first reported on Tuesday by Barstool Sports’ Kirk Minihane, the Patriots are hiring…
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 18: Josh McDaniels of the New England Patriots stands on the field prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 18, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesThe New England Patriots are bringing back a familiar face to be Mike Vrabel's offensive coordinator.
As first reported on Tuesday by Barstool Sports' Kirk Minihane, the Patriots are hiring old friend Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later confirmed Minihane's big scoop.
This will be McDaniels' third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator. He previously left the organization twice for head coaching opportunities, but posted just a 20-33 record between the Broncos and Raiders. At this stage of his career, McDaniels is likely settled in as an offensive coordinator.
McDaniels last coached for the Patriots in the 2021 season, when he shepherded rookie quarterback Mac Jones to a 10-7 record, a 92.5 passer rating, and the sixth-ranked scoring offense in the NFL, plus a Wild Card berth. No NFL coach has gotten more out of Jones in his career.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images<sup>Josh McDaniels</sup>
Vrabel has never coached with McDaniels, but the two have a relationship going back to the 2002-03 seasons, when McDaniels served as a defensive assistant during Vrabel's playing career. McDaniels officially moved to the offensive side of the ball starting in 2004, and is of course best known for his longtime work with Tom Brady. McDaniels won four Super Bowl championships as Pats offensive coordinator.
McDaniels will assume a monumental task for both the present and future of the Patriots, which is the further development of quarterback Drake Maye. The concern here, and it's a fair one, is that Maye will now have to learn McDaniels' Erhardt-Perkins-based system after spending his rookie season learning the West Coast offense under Alex Van Pelt.
But under McDaniels, a seasoned coordinator with proven success developing quarterbacks, the expectation in New England should be that, after three years of utter futility, that the Patriots offense should be restored to a level of competency, if not high-level production.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
