Josh McDaniels has served as an NFL head coach on two occasions. A third opportunity could arise depending on the success of his latest Patriots offensive coordinator stint, but that is not something receiving consideration at this time. 
“I love living in New England,” McDaniels said when speaking to the media about any future head coaching aspirations (via MassLive’s Karen Guregian). “That’s the short of it. I just try to focus on now, I’m really enjoying coaching for [head coach] Mike [Vrabel], and the staff and the guys we have here in the organization. That would be surprising if I moved my kids out of Westwood.”
McDaniels has worked as the Patriots’ OC on three separate occasions during his career. The 49-year-old has also been the head coach of the Broncos and Raiders, although neither of those gigs went according to plan. With Denver in 2010 and then again with Vegas in 2023, McDaniels was fired midway through his second season in charge. Overall, his head coaching record sits at 20-33.
For the time being, McDaniels’ attention is focused on overseeing an offense which has made notable strides compared to last season. Central to that development, of course, is the progress shown by second-year quarterback Drake Maye. 2024’s third overall pick has increased his production across the board during his first campaign working under McDaniels. The Patriots sit at 4-2 on the year and rank 11th in the league in scoring with an average of 25 points per game.
If New England can maintain that level of production through the remainder of the season, a return to the playoffs could be in store. That would no doubt help McDaniels’ coaching stock, and it could leave him in a situation not unlike Kliff Kingsbury‘s last year. During his return to the NFL, Kingsbury helped guide Jayden Daniels and the Commanders’ offense to an impressive showing, leading to questions about a second attempt at head coaching duties. Kingsbury was linked to multiple openings, but the presence of Daniels helped inform his decision to remain in place.
Similarly, McDaniels could draw interest on the coaching market if his third Patriots stint continues on an encouraging path. His past shortcomings would give suitors plenty of pause, on the other hand, and it remains to be seen if he would seek out another chance to lead a coaching staff anyway. At this point, it appears as though that would not be the case.
