It seemed like only a matter of time before the Patriots announced that they were re-hiring longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the job on Mike Vrabel's new staff, and that's exactly what happened on Tuesday afternoon. The former Raiders head coach was considered the favorite for the job almost immediately, and it didn't take long for it to become official.
For a few days, however, it didn't look like it was going to happen. Despite the countless reports indicating he was probably going to be the one for the job, there were some rumblings about his fit within Vrabel's new staff, with some speculation suggesting that Vrabel and McDaniels' lack of previous working experience together would play a role in going in another direction.
That ultimately doesn't seem to be accurate, and now, McDaniels will be making his third return to Foxboro since stepping away from the NFL after the Raiders fired him during the 2023 season.
Although there is some chatter about his return to where he has seen the most success and if he's the right fit as not only the offensive playcaller but to be the one working with quarterback Drake Maye, at least one player has made his feelings known about McDaniels being back, and it makes a lot of sense why he's celebrating his return.
Heeesssssss backkkkkkkk!
— Kendrick Bourne Poly (@BournePoly11) January 21, 2025
Kendrick Bourne was quick to react to the Patriots re-hiring Josh McDaniels
The Patriots 2021 season can be remembered for many reasons, ranging from the last year Josh McDaniels was on the staff until he was just re-hired, an impressive rookie year by quarterback Mac Jones, or the last time New England went to the playoffs.
Because McDaniels is the highlight of discussion at the moment, his return is the most relevant, especially when involving Kendrick Bourne as well. His excitement about the play-caller might be considered simple support for a coach's return, but it goes deeper than that for the wide receiver.
The 2021 season, Bourne's first with the Patriots, is also the best year of his career. He recorded 55/70 receptions for 800 yards and five touchdowns, all of which were career highs. It looked like the team had gotten a steal in free agency by signing the former 49er and may have found their WR1 in hiding.
He was expected to continue on his rise to stardom in 2022, but the offense completely fell apart due to Matt Patricia taking over in McDaniels' place and having some sort of vendetta against Bourne from the offseason. It was an absolute disaster, and it didn't get too much better the following year since he tore his ACL midseason and missed the rest of the year.
With McDaniels back in the building, there's a high chance that Bourne will revert to the player he was in their one season together, and that is something the Patriots should be looking forward to.
Because the receiving corps is one of their biggest weaknesses this offseason, getting that kind of production out of Bourne again would be a massive relief in their pursuit of improvement, besides adding another capable weapon for Maye to work with.