Josh McDaniels returns to Patriots as offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel: Source

FOXBORO, Mass. – Josh McDaniels is returning to the New England Patriots for the third time, league source said Athletics.

In arguably the most important decision he will make regarding his coaching staff, Mike Vrabel asked McDaniels to return to New England and lead an offense led by quarterback Drake Maye. This is McDaniels’ third stint as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, a role he served in under Bill Belichick from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2012 to 2021.

A depleted Patriots roster at least has the promise of Maye to fall back on, and Vrabel’s decision largely depended on who he would trust to develop the talented 22-year-old quarterback. That’s where McDaniels’ resume stood out.

The 48-year-old two-time NFL head coach helped Mac Jones put together an impressive rookie season before landing the job as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. Meanwhile, Jones’ production plummeted after McDaniels’ departure. Before that, McDaniels helped Matt Cassel have an impressive season as the Patriots’ starter in 2008. And then, of course, there were all those years with Tom Brady.

McDaniels was a Patriots assistant when Vrabel played in New England, but the two never worked together and do not appear to have a pre-existing relationship. Still, Brady is among their many mutual friends as they now begin a partnership aimed at putting the franchise back in contention.

McDaniels’ offensive system differs from that of Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans teams, focusing more on gap runs rather than wide zone runs. But regardless of the exact playbook, nothing is more important to Vrabel – and now McDaniels – than developing Maye.

The No. 3 pick in last year’s draft had a promising rookie season, although the numbers (15 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in 11 games) don’t stand out. But Maye played behind the worst offensive line in the league and started the worst group of wide receivers in the league. The positive signs for Maye far outweighed the negative signs.

Now he’s about to have his fourth offensive coordinator in four years, dating back to his college days at North Carolina. He would need some continuity and a consistent voice, and Vrabel thinks he found that in McDaniels. Vrabel said his relationship with the quarterback would focus primarily on leadership style and game management, deferring to the offensive coordinator for the Xs and O’s.

“We mentioned things like (being) aggressive but not reckless,” Vrabel said last week of what he looks for in his offense. “We have to be able to take risks. How can we create X amount of plays without having to just throw the ball down the field 50 yards and sit there shooting, right? Creativity. We want to be, I would say, versatile enough if the players can handle it. You look at the zone scheme in the running game, being able to run a gap scheme, being under center, being in the gun. But it’s also important to understand that everyone has access to it and everyone has experience with different types of attacks, but it’s (roughly) what players can get good at.

So the offensive scheme could be fluid depending on what the Patriots roster looks like after free agency and the draft.

But more important than how often they will be in the 11 staff or under center will be how the coaching staff develops Maye. Vrabel’s tenure in New England depends on it.

So, at first, he chose an experienced offensive coordinator who had a proven track record of helping young quarterbacks. It’s a sensible approach.

(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)