After Josh McDaniels left the Patriots to become the head coach of the Raiders in 2022, the offense lost its step and couldn't find the right guy to replace the legendary play-caller. He was coming off a season where he helped lead rookie Mac Jones back to the playoffs, resulting in another head coaching opportunity.
The Patriots floundered without him over the next three years, experimenting with Matt Patricia, Bill O'Brien, and Alex Van Pelt as the OC. Eventually, Mike Vrabel was hired and chose to bring McDaniels back to the place where he had accomplished the most success. But his return was met with a mixed reaction, despite seeing how much the turnover negatively impacted Jones's development, and fans not wanting the same to happen with Maye.
Given McDaniels' failed history as a head coach, it seemed like bringing him back was a safe bet that he would be in it for the long haul, mainly based on how his tenure in Las Vegas ended during the 2023 season.
But NFL insider Albert Breer isn't so sure that's the case.
NFL insider drops concerning update on Josh McDaniels’ future with the Patriots
While discussing the Patriots' latest win over the Saints on Sunday, Breer was asked about the possibility of McDaniels looking into head coaching gigs again despite it not working out well for him in the past.
The offensive coordinator stated just last week that he loved living in New England and is really enjoying working for Mike Vrabel and helping to develop Maye, but Breer suggests that might not be enough to keep him from turning down a future interview for another head coaching opportunity.
"Josh McDaniels is a football coach. And I would tell you that if a third opportunity came along, he would listen.
I think it has to be the right place. I think this is an important piece here: It would have to be the right owner. And, of course, on the other side of this, a team would have to be interested. There's less of a chance of that happening now after the way he flamed out in Denver and Vegas than there was the last two times he was in this sort of situation in New England."
RELATED: Josh McDaniels might’ve found the formula to fully unlock Drake Maye
It's not exactly surprising that a longtime NFL coach would want to explore opportunities to advance in their career, even someone like McDaniels, who has shown twice that he might be best as a coordinator and not a head coach.
However, there seemed to be a safety net with rehiring him, as most assumed another team wouldn't be all that interested in inquiring about McDaniels as a head coaching candidate, given his history, even if he does have an impressive run with Maye.
That doesn't seem to be the reality of the situation, at least according to Breer, even though McDaniels has seemingly shut down the idea of leaving. Considering he spent a year away from the league in 2024, and some were shocked that Vrabel even looked into hiring him, it would be disappointing to see him go again, especially if he achieves a lot in developing Maye.
It would be another low for the Patriots to overcome, which would be nice to avoid considering the trajectory they currently appear to be on.