Report: Browns Want To Interview Josh McDaniels For Head Coaching Vacancy
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Cleveland Browns need a head coach, and they're hoping they can look to the Patriots to find him.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Browns "are pushing to interview Patriots [offensive coordinator] Josh McDaniels, per source."
With the Patriots' season still alive at least until Jan. 11 and perhaps all the way until Feb. 2, Rapoport reported that the Browns wouldn't be able to interview McDaniels until Jan. 5, though "nothing firm set up yet."
McDaniels has been rumored as someone wanted dearly by Browns general manager Mike Lombardi, though the Browns have reportedly set up an interview with Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. They've also inquired about Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, according to Rapoport.
The Browns fired head coach Rob Chudzinski on Sunday night after he led the Browns to a 4-12 record in his only season as head coach. The Browns have not had a winning season since 2007, which was just their second season above .500 since the franchise re-booted in 1999. Chudzinksi followed Pat Shurmur, who led the Browns to a 9-23 record in his two years. Eric Mangini coached the Browns for the two years prior to that, leading the Browns to a 10-22 record in that time.
McDaniels, 37, did not have a successful go-round in his first stint as an NFL head coach in Denver, where he started the 2009 season with a 6-0 record but finished the year at 8-8. He was fired the following season, and he served as the Rams' offensive coordinator before he was fired at the end of the season. He returned to the Patriots that postseason as an offensive assistant, and he resumed his role as offensive coordinator -- the job he held in New England from 2006-08 -- in 2012.
