It is a big if.
A series of ifs, actually.
Ultimately, though, it boils down to this: There’s reason to believe Josh McDaniels would pursue a head coaching gig if an opportunity presents itself with a stable organization.
“I love living in New England. That’s the short of it,” McDaniels responded last week when asked if he would be content with coaching Drake Maye for the remainder of his career. “I just try to focus on now, really enjoying coaching for Mike (Vrabel). …That would be surprising if I moved my kids out of Westwood.”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer joined Patriots Pregame Live ahead of New England’s 25-19 victory against the Saints and weighed in on what he’s heard about McDaniels’ coaching prospects.
“Well, let’s start here: I think everybody should take him at face value,” Breer said. “He’s very happy here in New England. His family has spent a quarter century here, two of his four kids have graduated from high school here. So, he loves the area. He’s being forthright about that.
“He really, really likes working for Mike Vrabel and he loves working with Drake Maye,” Breer continued. “There’s a lot to love about the situation that he’s got here right now. I think Drake Maye gives him some stability, maybe not to the level that Tom Brady gave him all those years ago, but there is some stability with the young quarterback there, as well.”
McDaniels, however, still has ambitions.
Just because the the 49-year-old already served as a head coach of the Denver Broncos (2009-10) and Las Vegas Raiders (2022-23) doesn’t mean those aspirations go out the window, Breer noted.
“Josh McDaniels is a football coach,” Breer said. “And I would tell you that if a third opportunity came along, he would listen.
“I think it has to be the right place. I think this is an important piece here: It would have to be the right owner. And, of course, on the other side of this, a team would have to be interested,” Breer continued. “There’s less of a chance of that happening now after the way he flamed out in Denver and Vegas than there was the last two times he was in this sort of situation in New England.”
McDaniels is 20-33 as a head coach. He was fired after Week 13 of his second season in Denver and fired after Week 8 of his second season in Las Vegas. The end of his tenure with the Raiders, specifically, was celebrated by some Las Vegas players.
“It would take a lot of things lining up,” Breer said. “But if he shows that he can develop a young quarterback once again, which he has shown over the years — he did it with Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett, even if you want to go back, he got more out of Ryan Mallett early in his career and Matt Cassel before that. He’s shown an ability to develop young quarterbacks before.
“If he shows he can do it again with Drake Maye here, and Drake Maye becomes a superstar, and there is interest, and it’s the right owner, there’s no question he would have some interest in taking another shot at being a head coach,” Breer added.
“But I think we’re a ways away from that happening, and it’s certainly not something that’s front of mind for him.”
For more on McDaniels, check out the video above.
