FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots are expected to hire Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
McDaniels will return to the franchise for a third time, this time to work under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel and help tutor promising quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft.
The Patriots interviewed McDaniels on Tuesday. They also spoke with Bears passing game coordinator Thomas Brown and Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady for the position, sources said.
McDaniels did not coach in the NFL in 2024 after serving as Las Vegas Raiders head coach in 2022 and into the 2023 season.
He has never coached on a staff with Vrabel, but the two have a connection from the time Vrabel played for the Patriots (2001-2008) as a member of three Super Bowl championship teams.
McDaniels broke into the NFL in 2001 as an assistant coach under Bill Belichick in New England. After leaving in 2009 to become Broncos head coach until his firing in December 2010 and serving a year as Rams offensive coordinator in 2011, he returned to New England from 2012 to 2021.
In 2021, McDaniels mentored quarterback Mac Jones to a successful rookie season that resulted in him being named an alternate for the Pro Bowl, and now he'll look to duplicate that with Maye, who started 12 games as a rookie in 2024 and went 225-of-338 for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Maye added 54 rushes for 421 yards and two touchdowns.
Barstool Sports first reported that McDaniels' hire was imminent.