New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is expected to be one of the hottest names on the head coaching market this winter, but he may be planning to respectfully decline any offer that comes his way.
The NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel recently released its latest list of recommended head coaching candidates, and McDaniels’ name is notably absent. During the “Sunday Night Football” broadcast on NBC, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said he has heard the reason for that is McDaniels wanting to remain with the Patriots until Bill Belichick retires.
Interesting stuff from Mike Florio here on Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia pic.twitter.com/sSvEVDuxWH
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) November 21, 2016
McDaniels, 40, is still young by head coaching standards. He already had one chance to prove himself in that capacity with the Denver Broncos, but McDaniels was fired midway through his second season. If he takes another head coaching job and suffers a similar fate, that could wind up being his last chance.
Florio’s tidbit of info has to make you wonder when Belichick is planning to call it a career. At age 64, Belichick is the second-oldest head coach in the NFL. But there have been rumblings that he wants to prove he can win a championship without Tom Brady, so who’s to say he won’t coach well into his 70s?
A recent report indicated that another offensive coordinator is actually a more coveted name on the head coaching market than McDaniels. If the Patriots have assured McDaniels that he is the coach-in-waiting in New England, you can understand him being perfectly content with his current job.
