Josh McDaniels interviewing with Jaguars, Rams and 49ers
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will get another shot at a head coaching job and is set to interview with several teams today.
Teams looking for a new head coach with an offensive background are getting an up-close look at New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on Saturday.
According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, McDaniels will interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, taking advantage of his team’s first-round bye in the playoffs. McDaniels briefly coached the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010 before he was fired with an 11-17 record.
Busy day today for Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, who is interviewing for HC jobs with Jaguars, Rams and 49ers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2017
In his two stints with the Patriots, McDaniels has been a part of four Super Bowl winners and five AFC champions. He led the record-breaking offense in 2007 that scored 75 touchdowns. McDaniels also kept the Patriots offense humming in 2008 after Tom Brady went down in Week 1. He is regarded as one of the best offensive minds in football.
That great offensive mind did not help McDaniels during his brief tenure with the Broncos. He famously used a first-round pick on Tim Tebow, attempted to trade Jay Cutler to acquire Matt Cassel from the Patriots, benched wide receiver Brandon Marshall with a playoff berth on the line, and clashed with the entire Denver organization. Following his brief stint with the Broncos, McDaniels served as offensive coordinator for a season with the St. Louis Rams before finding his way back to the Patriots.
According to Eric Branch of SFGate, McDaniels prefers the San Francisco job. The Niners completely cleaned house after one disastrous season with Chip Kelly running the show, and have a new front office coming in to run things. McDaniels would have a cleaner slate to work with, and the 49ers are also a more prestigious team than the Rams or Jaguars. That being said, there have been issues between San Francisco’s ownership group and their relationships with recent head coaches, Jim Harbaugh and Kelly. The quarterback situation is also unsettled.
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McDaniels may change his mind as the interview process plays itself out. The Jags offer better skill players and a quarterback in Blake Bortles who could take the next step with an offensive wizard like McDaniels helping to develop him. Matt Patricia, the defensive coordinator in New England, is also interviewing for the Rams job. The Patriots could end 2017 needing to replace both coordinators.
Do you think McDaniels will leave the Patriots and Belichick’s side for a second chance to be a head coach? Will the Jaguars, Rams or 49ers present an opportunity too good to leave Tom Brady?