Is There Way For Josh McDaniels To Rejoin Patriots After Raiders Firing?

Josh McDaniels is in need of another coaching parachute. Could the Patriots once again be there to pull it for him?

McDaniels and Dave Ziegler both were fired by the Raiders late Tuesday night after lasting just 21 months as head coach and general manager, respectively. Las Vegas announced it will promote linebackers coach Antonio Pierce to interim head coach.

With the Patriots facing significant coaching and personnel uncertainty, many will wonder whether McDaniels and Ziegler both could return to New England. But let’s focus on McDaniels for now.

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He spent the first eight years of his NFL coaching career with the Patriots before bolting for a failed stint as head coach of the Broncos. After getting fired by Denver midway through the 2010 season, McDaniels was hired by the St. Louis Rams to be their offensive coordinator in 2011. However, McDaniels and then-head coach Steve Spagnuolo both were fired after the season finale, and the Patriots swooped in and hired McDaniels as an offensive assistant for their playoff run.

Bill O’Brien was set to leave as offensive coordinator to become head at Penn State in 2012. Once O’Brien left, McDaniels took over as offensive coordinator and kept the job through 2021.

In that case, McDaniels had a clear path back to Foxboro, Mass., and had a big advocate in Bill Belichick. But would a Patriots return be as easy this time?

With a record of 20-33, McDaniels might have worked his last game as an NFL head coach. Perhaps an opportunity presents itself in the future, but at this point, it’s hard to envision any franchise, including New England, allowing him to steer the ship.

The Patriots are 2-6 and staring at another lost season, and many believe Belichick could resign/retire or be fired at the end of the campaign. His confusing contract situation is a factor, but all indications are it wouldn’t prevent Robert Kraft from making a change at head coach.

There was a time when McDaniels looked like the obvious Belichick successor. Now, that job appears to be Jerod Mayo’s for the taking. The Patriots gave Mayo an offseason pay raise to prevent him from taking head coaching interviews, a clear sign they view him as the head coach-in-waiting.

So, New England’s head coaching job appears to be off the table for McDaniels. But what about getting his old job back?

Well, that’s just as complicated. McDaniels once again is blocked by O’Brien, but this time O’Brien doesn’t appear to have anything different lined up for next season. And, despite not being a one-man cure-all for Mac Jones, O’Brien seemingly hasn’t done anything this season to warrant a firing. At this juncture, he should be considered the favorite to be the Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2024.

That said, McDaniels landing on the open market could change everything. The Krafts think very highly of him, and it would be a surprise if they don’t at least talk about the possibility of bringing McDaniels back in some role.

Maybe he’d agree to join the staff as an offensive assistant. Or maybe he’ll pull a Kliff Kingsbury and take a long, well-paid coaching breather.

Either way, McDaniels rejoining the Patriots isn’t as obvious and easy of a move now as it was a decade ago.