Report: McDaniels And Patricia Drawing Interest From Rams, Several Other Teams
BOSTON (CBS) -- Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia may be busy for the next several weeks as the Patriots march toward another potential Super Bowl run, but the coordinators will have no shortage of head coaching options if they choose to leave New England after the season.
New reports suggest that teams with head coaching vacancies are already inquiring about McDaniels and Patricia. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted on Monday that the Patriots coordinators are on a short list of 8-10 "likely interview targets" for the Los Angeles Rams, who fired Jeff Fisher on Dec. 13. CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora tweeted on Monday morning that McDaniels has agreed to interview with the Rams, in addition to the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars, who have fired coaches Chip Kelly and Gus Bradley.
Elsewhere, the Detroit Lions have also been linked to McDaniels and Patricia. La Canfora reported on Sunday that the Lions could look into replacing head coach Jim Caldwell if the Lions missed the playoffs. Detroit backed into the sixth seed in the NFC Playoffs after losing to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night and benefitting from a Washington Redskins loss, and now have to head to Seattle for a tough road playoff matchup against the Seahawks.
Lions GM Bob Quinn worked for the Patriots from 2000-2015, working his way up to Director of Pro Scouting before heading to Detroit. According to La Canfora, he could see the 2017 offseason as his only opportunity to land McDaniels or Patricia as his new head coach.
Greg Bedard recently said on Felger & Mazz that the Rams would be a good spot for McDaniels as a head coach, due to the upside at quarterback and job security that he'd likely have there. The Broncos, Jaguars, 49ers, Bills, and Chargers are also going to be looking for new head coaches in the offseason.
UPDATE: ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted on Monday morning that in addition to McDaniels, the 49ers have also requested an interview with Patriots Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio for their GM opening.
UPDATE No. 2: Per Schefter, the San Diego Chargers have now requested an interview with Patrica.
