Josh McDaniels named AP Assistant Coach of the Year
McDaniels has been rewarded for revitalizing the offense in his latest stint in New England.
Sep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was named the 2025 AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year at the 15th annual NFL Honors on Thursday night in San Francisco.
McDaniels is currently in his first season back with the Patriots after having two other stints as the team's offensive coordinator. He’s been with the organization in various roles since 2001 and has been a part of all six of the franchise’s Super Bowls.
The offensive coordinator has been an integral part of the Patriots' turnaround, guiding quarterback Drake Maye to an MVP-caliber run in just his second season. Under McDaniels, Maye threw for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and completed a league-high 72% of his passes.
"Josh has done a fantastic job, and usually any coach's success or recognition is going to come from the fact that the players executed, they played well and they did what was coached," said head coach Mike Vrabel. "And sometimes that happens and sometimes it doesn't, but I would be extremely excited and happy for Josh if he were to win, just like I would be for Stef [Stefon Diggs], TreVeyon [Henderson], Drake [Maye] and everybody else."
McDaniels became the first Patriot assistant to win the award, but its history only goes back to 2014. The Barberton, Ohio native has long been widely considered one of the best coordinators in the league. While his head coaching experience has gone poorly, McDaniels with Maye has re-established himself as an elite offensive play-caller and developer of quarterbacks.
The offense as a whole has thrived under McDaniels, finishing second in total points scored (28.8 per game) and third in total yards (6,449).
McDaniels, in pursuit of his seventh Super Bowl title with the Patriots, will have a tall task ahead of him on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks defense. Maye has struggled in the postseason against tougher defenses, and might need to play better for New England to win.
Luckily for the Patriots, their award-winning coordinator has plenty of experience getting signature performances out of his quarterback on the game’s biggest stage.
