Josh McDaniels reportedly turned down Bengals’ interview request
Josh McDaniels (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Josh McDaniels isn’t going to lead the Bengals on. The Patriots offensive coordinator has declined a request from the Cincinnati Bengals for an interview, according to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The Bengals are in the market for a new head coach for the first time since 2003, after finally parting ways with Marvin Lewis. Hopefully McDaniels wasn’t Plan A for them, because their chances of landing him were over before they started.
McDaniels, of course, has proven to be … selective … in his interest to become a head coach again. He’ll be interviewing with the Green Bay Packers for their opening on Friday, and that’s the only other team that’s publicly known to have requested a meeting with him.
Compare that to Patriots linebackers coach/defensive play-caller Brian Flores, who has drawn interest from the Packers, Broncos, and Dolphins.
This is a blow to those who argued that McDaniels just wants to have his ego stroked, or go on his own kind of free agency tour, or anything along the lines of starving for attention. Unless you can spin this into McDaniels waiting to strike teams down so he can be the judge, jury, and executioner of his own selection process.
It’s possible that McDaniels’ handling of his situation with the Colts last year actually has hurt his candidacy for other head coach openings (there are eight total, as of Thursday). It’s also possible that it’s known around the league that McDaniels will decide between staying with the Patriots again or leaving to coach the Packers, and other teams are bowing out. McDaniels obviously isn’t taking just any job, but the opportunity to coach Aaron Rodgers would be hard for him to turn down.
Leave it to the Bengals not to get the memo. Knowing that organization, they had no other plan in place. Watch them hire Hue Jackson instead.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected].
