It’s looking more and more like this is the year Josh McDaniels actually leaves the Patriots (again) to take a head-coaching job.
The New England offensive coordinator again has emerged as a popular candidate to land one of the handful of openings across the NFL, and oddsmakers have made him the favorite to head home and land the Cleveland Browns’ position.
According to Bovada (via Odds Shark), the longtime Patriots assistant is the 2-to-1 favorite to be named the Browns’ next head coach, replacing Freddie Kitchens after his abysmal first and only year as the head man for the long-suffering franchise.
Here are a few of the favorites, per Bovada and Odds Shark:
Josh McDaniels: +200
Mike McCarthy: +300
Kevin Stefanski: +500
Urban Meyer: +600
Lincoln Riley: +1800
At the moment, McDaniels has much bigger issues as he prepares his Patriots offense for a wild-card round showdown with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night. However, he has no shortage of suitors already lined up. According to reports, McDaniels received interview requests from the Browns, Carolina Panthers and New York Giants and was granted permission to take all three. He’ll reportedly do that Friday, Jan. 10.
The Cleveland job, despite its issues, does seem like a perfect fit for McDaniels. For starters, the Ohio native reportedly was very interested when the job became open last year. There’s also no shortage of talent for the offensive-minded McDaniels to oversee, with the likes of Nick Chubb and Odell Beckham Jr. on the Cleveland roster. And, don’t forget, the Patriots looked at trading up to draft Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, who ultimately went No. 1 in the 2018 NFL Draft. According to one report, McDaniels is a big fan of Mayfield. The chance to work with Mayfield obviously would signify a fresh start for McDaniels, especially given the age of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
The Browns’ recent housecleaning also involved general manager John Dorsey, meaning there would be a chance for McDaniels to take on a bigger role in roster-building should he take the Cleveland job. He even could look to team up with either Dave Ziegler or Nick Caserio — two high-ranking members of the Patriots’ front office — and start anew in Cleveland. Or, as one report mentioned, it could be a Bill Belichick-like role for McDaniels in Cleveland.
McDaniels was poised to leave Foxboro in early 2018, agreeing to a deal with the Indianapolis Colts to become their head coach, but he ultimately reneged on that opportunity to return to the Patriots.
