Josh McDaniels 'Absolutely' Wants To Be A Head Coach Again
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the 2020 season about to come to an end for the New England Patriots, attention will soon turn to the offseason. The Patriots should be pretty active in free agency as they look to fill various holes on the roster, but Bill Belichick will also likely be looking for a new offensive coordinator.
Josh McDaniels, who is about to complete the ninth season of his second stint on the New England sideline, is expected to get another shot at being an NFL head coach this offseason. It's an opportunity that McDaniels is "absolutely" looking for.
"I definitely want to do that," McDaniels said during his Tuesday morning conference call. "I'd love to have that opportunity if it presents itself."
McDaniels has been the offensive coordinator of the Patriots for a total of 13 seasons, and he's been on Belichick's staff for each of the franchise's six Super Bowl victories. He's looking for his second shot as a head coach, a chance to show that he has grown since his failed season-and-a-half in charge of the Denver Broncos.
That second chance nearly came in 2018 when McDaniels accepted the head coaching job in Indianapolis. But he called a quick audible and rejoined the Patriots, leaving Indy at the altar with nothing but a bunch of Colts visors to show for it. It showed that McDaniels isn't going to jump at just any opportunity that comes his way; it has to be the right head coaching gig.
And McDaniels is smart to be picky, considering very few people get a third chance to succeed as an NFL head coach. If his next venture in head coaching goes south early in his tenure, it will likely be McDaniels' last.
If teams are looking to hire the OC of one of the worst offenses in 2020, there will be a few intriguing openings out there for McDaniels. The L.A. Chargers have already been rumored as a fit for McDaniels if the team parts way with Anthony Lynn. Los Angeles has a prosing young quarterback in Justin Herbert and loads of talent on offense, and would offer the most intriguing landing spot for McDaniels. You can add the Jacksonville Jaguars to that mix too, as the Jags just so happen to own the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. That should land them -- and their next head coach -- a franchise quarterback in Clemson's Trevor Lawrence.
And if you really want to go outside the box, how about New England? Bill Belichick is not one to walk away from a challenge, but he has quite the endeavor ahead of him when it comes to rebuilding the Patriots. If Belichick is ready to call it a career, he could tab McDaniels as his successor. Many believed that when McDaniels spurned the Colts, it was because he got a nice pay bump from the Patriots -- and a potential handshake agreement that he would be the next head coach after Belichick.
While replacing Belichick is a monumental task that would carry loads of pressure, chances are McDaniels would jump at that opportunity, and not pass it up by resigning on a napkin.
Whatever the future holds for McDaniels, we should get an answer sooner than we're used to this offseason.
