Josh McDaniels still has his sights set on another head-coaching gig.
The New England Patriots offensive coordinator said Tuesday he “absolutely” wants to be a head coach again.
“I definitely want to do that,” McDaniels said in a conference call one day after the Patriots lost to the Buffalo Bills 38-9 to fall to 6-9 on the season. “I’d love to have that opportunity if it presents itself.”
McDaniels spent 1 1/2 seasons as the Denver Broncos’ head coach from 2009 to 2010. He was announced as the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach in 2018 before ultimately choosing to remain in New England.
Since spurning the Colts, McDaniels has interviewed with the Green Bay Packers (in 2019) and Cleveland Browns (in 2020). He also had interviews scheduled with the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants last spring, but both teams hired coaches before meeting with the longtime Patriots OC.
This has been a trying season for McDaniels, whose Patriots offense has cratered in its first season without Tom Brady since 2000. New England has run the ball effectively, but its Cam Newton-led passing attack has been one of NFL’s worst.
The Patriots rank 28th in the league in scoring (19.9 points per game) with one game remaining. They have not ranked that low since 1990, when the NFL had just 28 teams.
The Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions already have fired their head coaches, with more teams likely to follow suit next week.
It’s unclear who would take over offensive play-calling duties for the Patriots if McDaniels leaves. They lost their most likely internal OC candidate last week when quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch left to become head coach at Arizona.
McDaniels has taken on QB coach responsibilities following Fisch’s late-season departure.
