The New England Patriots’ season isn’t over yet, but offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels already is drawing interest from teams with head-coaching vacancies.
The Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers have requested the Patriots’ permission to interview McDaniels, sources told NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Monday. The Falcons fired head coach Mike Smith earlier in the day, and Jim Harbaugh and the Niners mutually agreed to part ways over the weekend.
Under McDaniels’ guidance, New England boasted the NFL’s fourth-highest-scoring offense (29.3 points per game) during the regular season. The 38-year-old did not enjoy nearly the same success in his lone head-coaching stint, leading the Denver Broncos to a 11-17 record before being canned midway through the 2010 season.
McDaniels, who first joined Bill Belichick’s coaching staff in 2001, told reporters Monday on a conference call that he “(hasn’€™t) even thought about” pursuing head-coaching jobs.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
