New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was one of the top head coaching candidates this offseason. That’ll likely be the case next year, too.
Josh McDaniels decides to stick with Patriots after withdrawing from 49ers job
The Patriots’ OC will wait a bit longer for his second chance.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
After interviewing with the Rams, Jaguars and 49ers, McDaniels withdrew himself from consideration with only San Francisco still needing a head coach.
“At this time, it’s best for my family and myself to remain here,” McDaniels told reporters on a conference call.
The OC had been rumored to receive second-chance consideration after a disastrous stint as the head coach of the Broncos.
Before his first season in Denver even began, McDaniels had alienated his quarterback, Jay Cutler, before eventually moving him for Kyle Orton. In 2010, he was fined $50,000 for videotaping the San Francisco 49ers’ practice in London. Every poor decision begetting another.
“I never played for a guy in my life who guys wanted to play for less,” former Broncos punter Mitch Berger told Dan Pompei in September. “He was just a guy you didn’t care about.”
He only served two years as the head coach in Denver with a record of 12-20.
It makes sense that McDaniels would shy away from a seemingly worse situation that awaited in San Francisco. He’s not proven as someone who can fit in anywhere and he certainly fits in New England.
Since returning to the team in 2012, he’s helped Tom Brady remain one of the top quarterbacks in the league, guided the offense to another Super Bowl victory in 2014 and is back in the AFC Championship this season. In the last five years, the Patriots’ offense has finished outside the NFL’s top 10 just once.
McDaniels’ success in New England has also led to speculation about him staying with the team as a successor to Bill Belichick, whenever he decides to retire.
Los Angeles ended up going with a younger, less-proven coach in Sean McVay, while Jacksonville removed the interim tag from Doug Marrone.
With only San Francisco left on the market, it didn’t make sense for McDaniels to leave New England.
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