Throughout the speculation and eventual hire of Josh McDaniels returning to New England, there was a lot of discourse surrounding his fitness for the new regime and how well he would work with quarterback Drake Maye. He put together an impressive offense during the dynasty with Tom Brady and even impressively made Mac Jones look like a Pro Bowler, but by the time he left the Patriots for the Raiders, many felt his playbook was stagnant.
That has remained a concern since he was officially announced to replace Alex Van Pelt as the team's offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel, especially after his second failed stint as a head coach.
Given how crucial Maye's development will be, re-hiring McDaniels felt like a move in the wrong direction to many fans, even more so for those who had hoped the Krafts would hire Ben Johnson as the next head coach instead of Vrabel.
However, multiple people connected to the Patriots and even McDaniels himself have easily shut down the growing narrative that his playcalling needs refreshing. Maye continues to be the focus of almost every offensive coach hired thus far, and that's exactly what the fans want to hear.
"If Josh McDaniels feels Drake Maye is better with West Coast terminology, he'll move to that. He's not gonna force him to run Brady's offense."@scottzolak saying "for a fact" the plan is all about Drake Maye.
— ZeeBee (@BellinoZee) January 23, 2025
And speaking very highly of JMD in the process. @NBCSBoston pic.twitter.com/RJIGhrQwQE
Josh McDaniels won't be the same offensive coordinator that we've gotten to know over the years in New England
Besides former Patriots quarterback and current 98.5 The Sports Hub host Scott Zolak emphasizing McDaniels' plan to work in what is best for Maye and what he's most comfortable with, reports have also stated that he has spent the past year away from the NFL by learning as much as he could from different colleges.
NFL insider Albert Breer discussed it again earlier this week when the McDaniels hire was made official, detailing McDaniels' plan to "evolve his offense" by studying college games and working with their programs.
That will inevitably be incredibly useful for a guy like Maye, who will be entering his second season in 2025 with just 12 starts under his belt.
The Patriots' decision to go back to Josh McDaniels, and hire him as Mike Vrabel's offensive coordinator, is going into their past, of course. But McDaniels spent a lot of time over the last year refining his system.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 21, 2025
More from @TheMMQB Takeaways (https://t.co/gqItPP4g8A) ⤵️⤵️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ODJ3SiknPf
If secondhand knowledge and comments aren't enough to convince Patriots fans that McDaniels has done the work to freshen up his playcalling, then perhaps hearing it directly from his mouth will make an impact.
In a video posted by the Patriots social media team to welcome him back to Foxboro, McDaniels had some great things to say about his return and what he hopes to accomplish in his third stint. The comments that stood out the most were about what he has learned in his time away and what he hopes to bring to the Patriots this season, which clearly revolves around Maye.
"There's just an evolution to our game that I think is important, that you need to respect. This year has given me an opportunity to really consider all aspects of what this job entails. I'm excited about what we're going to build here and the evolution of our offensive scheme, our offensive attitude."
There might not be anything more perfect he could have said if he tried.
It feels like McDaniels has taken the last year off to improve his abilities and strengthen his knowledge, which was already vast, and the Patriots will be the ones to benefit from it all. That will be crucial for Maye as the expected franchise quarterback, and their pairing could become another Brady/McDaniels match made in heaven.