Josh

McDaniels

Belichick’s sons, Steve and Brian, could also be part of the package. McDaniels, who was fired as Raiders head coach this fall, would seem like a lock to be Belichick’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta. Matt Patricia, meanwhile, if fresh off stepping in to coach the league’s worst defense after joining Judge to coach the league’s worst offense in 2022. It wouldn’t be a surprise for Belichick to bring in quarterbacks like Brian Hoyer and Jimmy Garoppolo — players steeped in the Patriot Way. It all suggests a coach who is unwilling to change anything about his approach to the game after years of struggling without Tom Brady at the helm.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft had an “initial meeting” with head coach Bill Belichick Monday, after which it was noted that former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could return to the team should Belichick stay. Callahan goes on to note that McDaniels could serve as assistant head coach for the Patriots in that scenario. There is still a lot to work out and still a lot of time to do so, but it’s interesting to hear two reports within 24 hours regarding present and former New England coaches interested in a return to the team after Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he would be interested in returning to New England as the head coach if Belichick left this offseason.

It only took 25 games for Raiders owner Mark Davis to decide another ride on the coaching carousel would be more fun than watching McDaniels coach another game for the Silver and Black. McDaniels’ time with the team ended overnight, as Davis dismissed the Belichick disciple hours after the trade deadline and a day after an embarrassing 26-14 loss to the Lions. A loss to the Bears and rookie UDFA Tyson Bagent in Week 7 probably didn’t help his case, either. There’s also that whole “only coach to lose to Jeff Saturday” thing. A 6-11 season in his first year with the team led to Derek Carr being the scapegoat at the end of the season, with Jimmy Garoppolo — another Patriots connection, being tabbed as the man to lead the Raiders to the promised land. That’s gone about as well as expected. Through eight games, the Raiders are 31st in yards per game and 30th in points per game, with Garoppolo throwing for 1205-7-9. The defense isn’t much better, ranking 22nd in points allowed while getting thrashed on the ground to the tune of 140.6 yards per game. McDaniels was eight games into the second year of a six-year contract, and is still owed what’s left on that deal. In addition to McDaniels, the Raiders also fired GM Dave Ziegler, who joined the team in January 2022. Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce has been promoted to interim head coach and will get his first test in Week 9 against the Giants.

The Raiders signed Carr to a three-year extension in April. While it’s unlikely they move on from Carr a year after he recruited WR Davante Adams to Vegas, Carr’s deal has no guarantees left. Releasing him would leave only $5 million in dead money. The Raiders project for a top-five pick, giving them a chance to draft Carr’s replacement, and there are rumors of HC Josh McDaniels reuniting with ex-Patriots QB Tom Brady this offseason. The Raiders have until three days after the Super Bowl to make a decision on Carr. Carr has a $32.9 million base salary next year and would be owed a guaranteed $7.5 million in 2024 if he’s on the post-February roster.

McDaniels added that he spoke with Carr the day before his introductory press conference but looks forward to meeting him in person. Though we remain a long way from the start of the 2022 season, it sounds like Carr has the backing of his new head coach and Dave Ziegler, the Raiders’ newly-hired general manager. This lines up with similar reports that leaked before McDaniels was hired. Carr has one year left on his contract and is undoubtedly eying an extension after making the playoffs. A good relationship with the new faces in Las Vegas is a good start to his pursuit of a massive payday.

Derek Carr, Josh Jacobs, and Maxx Crosby spoke glowingly of Rich Bisaccia’s leadership in the days before the Raiders hired McDaniels as their next head coach. Bisaccia, a real football guy who endeared himself to players and fans, helped right the Raiders ship after Jon Gruden was fired following the publication of racist emails. He led Vegas to an improbable playoff berth and fell just short of upsetting the Bengals in the Wild Card round. Tafur reported the Raiders “coaching staff was disappointed and a little bitter” by the news of McDaniels’ hiring. McDaniels, whose first head coaching stint (with Denver) was an abject disaster, has a lot of trust-earning to do in the coming weeks and months. “The players will get over it. They always do,” Tafur said. “They have no choice. They will meet McDaniels and be optimistic by training camp.”

Schefter noted that the two sides are finalizing a contract but the deal has been all but done for some time now. Once Davie Ziegler, the Patriots’ director of player personnel, was inked as the Raiders’ next GM, McDaniels was sure to follow. McDaniels was reportedly a big supporter of Ziegler when Nick Caserio left New England and opened the de facto GM role. The two were seemingly a package deal for the Raiders, who made Ziegler their first GM interview while McDaniels was strongly rumored to be their top coaching option. McDaniels flopped as the head coach of the Broncos, going 11-17 from 2009 to the middle of the 2010 season. Though he seemed in over his head then, McDaniels has had a decade to learn at the altar of Bill Belichick. After getting back into the playoffs with a rookie quarterback at the helm, McDaniels was bound to get a second crack at leading a team.

It’s clear that the Raiders had their mind made up as soon as they decided to move on from Mike Mayock. Ziegler was the first person to get an interview for the role and the connection grew even stronger once the team was linked to Pats OC Josh McDaniels. Rapoport noted that Ziegler’s role was key in the Pats’ quick turnaround from losing Tom Brady to returning to the playoffs with Mac Jones. Ziegler was promoted to director of player personnel after Nick Caserio vacated the role last year. McDaniels should be the next domino to fall for the Raiders.

“This connection has been building since last week,” Howe reports. “Still needs to go through the interview process and align with the right GM, but there’s momentum.” It appears McDaniels is plotting some sort of team up with Patriots exec Dave Ziegler. McDaniels is perpetually one of the biggest fish out there, but his non-Patriots track record is spotty, to put it mildly. He was an epic flameout as Broncos head coach in 2009-10, seeming unready to lead a football team, while he infamously left the Colts at the altar in 2018 after initially agreeing to take the gig. Of course, he has spent another decade-plus in Bill Belichick finishing school since the Broncos debacle. It’s a matter of when, not if, McDaniels gets another opportunity, and the Raiders are bound and determined to land a big name.

McDaniels had been linked to the job by CBS’ Jonathan Jones earlier, but we hadn’t heard anything about an actual courtship until now. McDaniels has also been linked to the Texans job. It’s hard to tell what is real and what is false about McDaniels being available, as he’s apparently done his best to keep a low profile despite his prominence in league circles, but PFN’s Aaron Wilson reports that he is “all-in.” He could form Patriots West with GM Dave Ziegler, and “the hope” per Ian Rapoport is that McDaniels interviews on Friday. McDaniels’ Patriots finished ninth in offensive DVOA and successfully re-invented around rookie Mac Jones before they were silenced by the Bills in the Wild Card round.