When looking at the Patriots' 2025 schedule, there wasn't much excitement about who they were to face until Robert Kraft hired Mike Vrabel as the new head coach. Knowing that the Titans were going to be a road game meant their former coach would have a chance for revenge for his unexpected firing, but he won't be the only one to have that opportunity this year in Foxboro.
Because Josh McDaniels has returned for his third stint with the team, he lucks out with the Patriots welcoming the Raiders to Gillette Stadium this year, allowing the offensive coordinator to also seek vengeance over his former team.
Although his firing from Las Vegas wasn't deemed as controversial as Vrabel's from Tennessee, the way the team handled the situation, even the players, was not expected. The celebration in the locker room and during the game, as well as the interviews that came after the announcement, painted McDaniels in a really poor light, resulting in the accomplished coach taking a year away from the NFL.
It's difficult to imagine that McDaniels doesn't maintain some harsh feelings about what happened, making the Patriots' matchup with the Raiders that much more exciting to look forward to.
Josh McDaniels can lead the Patriots to a big win over the Raiders on his home turf this year
With the 2025 schedule announcement on Wednesday, we learned that the Patriots will play the Raiders at home in Week 1. That is the official day McDaniels hopes to help Drake Maye and the offense crush the Raiders' desire to steal a win on the road.
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More eyes than usual will probably be watching the matchup, not because it will necessarily be must watch television but because of the other storylines that are intertwined with the game itself, which also includes Tom Brady's potential return to the stadium he called home for nearly 20 years, as he is a miniority owner of the Raiders.
McDaniels' hopeful revenge will certainly take center stage, though, since he was widely criticized for his second failed stint as an NFL head coach. Fortunately, that failure has worked in the Patriots' favor, as they were able to bring back their most successful offensive coordinator to work with their presumed next franchise quarterback.
There's no one better for Maye to work with and learn from, regarldess if Raiders fans and others don't feel the same way.
This will be his chance to prove he is still a great coach, even if the same cannot be said when he takes on the role of head coach. There's a reason he was considered a frontrunning candidate for vacancies multiple times throughout his career, and the fact that he was able to return as an offensive playcaller despite the unfavorable tenures as a head coach.