 McDaniels in 2017 | |
| New England Patriots | |
|---|---|
| Title | Offensive coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1976-04-22)April 22, 1976 (age 49) Barberton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Canton McKinley (OH) |
| College | John Carroll (1995–1998) |
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 20–33 (.377) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Joshua Thomas McDaniels (born April 22, 1976) is an American professionalfootball coach who is theoffensive coordinator for theNew England Patriots of theNational Football League (NFL). He has served as the offensive coordinator of the Patriots for 14 non-consecutive seasons. Outside of his Patriots tenure, McDaniels was the head coach of theDenver Broncos from 2009 to 2010 and theLas Vegas Raiders from 2022 to 2023.
During McDaniels' first stint as New England's offensive coordinator from 2006 to 2008, the team set the season record for points scored and became the first team to win all 16 regular season games in 2007. In his second stint from 2012 to 2021, the Patriots won threeSuper Bowl titles. McDaniels rejoined New England a third time in 2025, winningAP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year the same season.
Recruited out ofCanton McKinley High School byGreg Debeljak, McDaniels attendedJohn Carroll University,[1] where he played football mostly as awide receiver from 1995 to 1998. Although a quarterback in high school, McDaniels lost out at that position at John Carroll toNick Caserio, who joined the Patriots staff in 2001 (the same year as McDaniels). His other teammates at John Carroll includedLondon Fletcher, formerly alinebacker with theSt. Louis Rams,Buffalo Bills, andWashington Redskins as well asBrian Polian, the former head coach at theUniversity of Nevada-Reno,Jerry Schuplinski, theNew York Giants quarterbacks coach,Tom Telesco, former general manager of theLas Vegas Raiders andDave Ziegler, Telesco's predecessor as general manager of the Raiders.[2]
McDaniels began his coaching career as a senior graduate assistant atMichigan State University in 1999 underNick Saban, parlaying his dad's friendship[clarification needed] with Saban.[3][4] After assisting Michigan State, McDaniels moved toCleveland and worked as aplastics sales representative.[3]
McDaniels joined the Patriots in2001 as a personnel assistant. From2002 to2003, he served as a defensive coaching assistant for the team, working with thedefensive backs in 2003. In2004, McDaniels became the team'squarterbacks coach. In his first four seasons with the team, the Patriots won three Super Bowls: Super Bowl XXXVI, Super Bowl XXXVIII, and Super Bowl XXXIX.[5][6][7] After offensive coordinatorCharlie Weis left the team following the 2004 season, the Patriots did not name an offensive coordinator for the2005 season. According toThe New York Times in 2008, it was McDaniels who called the offensive plays for the 2005 season, although suggestions to that effect were made in 2005.[8][9] After the season, McDaniels was officially promoted to offensive coordinator, while retaining his responsibilities coaching the team's quarterbacks.
In the2007 season, with McDaniels at the helm of the offense, the Patriots set NFL records, scoring 75 touchdowns (67 on offense, 50 passing and 17 rushing) and 589 points, leading to rumors that McDaniels might leave the Patriots for a head coaching job.[10] However, McDaniels withdrew his name from consideration during the Patriots' January 2008 playoff run. Shortly after the Patriots' loss inSuper Bowl XLII, Patriots head coachBill Belichick gave McDaniels a five-page typed report on what it takes to be an effective head coach and run a winning organization, which McDaniels termed "hisbible." Throughout the 2008 season, the two met to discuss the report and allow McDaniels to ask non-coaching questions that he brought to later head coaching interviews.[11]
StartingquarterbackTom Brady suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 of the2008 season. McDaniels directed theMatt Cassel-led Patriots' offense as the team finished the season with an 11–5 record but missed out on the playoffs.
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On January 11, 2009, theDenver Broncos named McDaniels their head coach, replacingMike Shanahan.[12] The Broncos introduced McDaniels, who agreed to sign a four-year, $8 million contract, as their head coach in a press conference the next day.[13][14]
McDaniels's tenure with the Broncos was marred early on by a controversy involving an alleged trade offer from the Patriots involving Broncos quarterback,Jay Cutler, which would have sentMatt Cassel to Denver. On March 9, 2009, according to ESPN, a conference call involving McDaniels, team ownerPat Bowlen and Cutler failed to resolve the issues. Cutler said he did not trust McDaniels and the organization following the trade controversy.[15] On April 2, 2009, the Broncos traded Cutler and a2009 fifth-round draft pick to theChicago Bears for quarterbackKyle Orton, first- and third-round picks in 2009 and a first-round pick in2010.
The Broncos started their first season under McDaniels with six straight wins, including an overtime victory over the Patriots in Week 5, before suffering four straight losses. In the last game of the season, McDaniels and the Broncos still had a potential playoff berth on the line, but lost to theKansas City Chiefs, 44–24, Denver's third straight home loss to a division opponent. That left the Broncos with an 8–8 season record. Controversy surrounded McDaniels for his benching ofPro Bowl wide receiverBrandon Marshall for the game due to disciplinary reasons; Marshall would be traded to theMiami Dolphins after the season.
McDaniels' second season in Denver ended with a 3–9 record. The Broncos lost to theKansas City Chiefs on December 5, and McDaniels was fired by the Broncos the following day.
On November 27, 2010,The Denver Post reported the Broncos were under investigation from the NFL, after it was reported that Steve Scarnecchia, the team's director of video operations hired by McDaniels in 2009, videotaped aSan Francisco 49ers' walkthrough practice, during the teams' Week 8 game atWembley Stadium inLondon, England.[16]
The same day, the NFL fined the Broncos and McDaniels $50,000 each, and Scarnecchia was fired as a result of the incident. Scarnecchia told NFL investigators he acted alone and "knew it was wrong" to tape the walkthrough practice, after the rest of the Broncos' staff had left the stadium. Scarnecchia later presented McDaniels with the six-minute video, but McDaniels declined to view it, and it was not shown to any other Broncos staff member, and therefore the NFL determined the Broncos had not gained a competitive advantage from it. An anonymous source alerted the Broncos on November 8, who conducted an internal investigation before alerting the NFL. NFL Security then began its investigation, which included a forensic analysis of the computer from which the recording was later deleted by Scarnecchia.[17] Both the NFL and the Broncos determined that McDaniels knew nothing about the incident.[18]
However, the NFL fined McDaniels due to the fact that he did not immediately report the incident to the league office, as required by policy. The NFL also fined the Broncos, as "clubs are ultimately accountable for the conduct of their employees."[17]
McDaniels later issued the following statement:[19]
"I apologize for not promptly reporting the improper conduct of our video director before our game against the 49ers in London. The actions of this individual are in no way representative of the values and integrity held by myself, our players and coaches, and the entire Denver Broncos organization. I understand the punishment from the National Football League and support its commitment to the integrity of the game. We have addressed the situation internally to assure that nothing like this happens again."
According toThe Denver Post, the videotaping incident was a major factor in McDaniels' firing a week later; while the Broncos did not deem it something that merited being fired for cause, they considered his failure to report the incident "unforgivable."[18]
On January 18, 2011, McDaniels agreed to become the offensive coordinator for theSt. Louis Rams under head coachSteve Spagnuolo. InSuper Bowl XLII, Spagnuolo was the defensive coordinator of theNew York Giants, while McDaniels was the offensive coordinator of the Patriots. Spagnuolo stated, "I've always recognized that he is one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. We think he is a great addition to our organization." Also, during the same news conference, it was announced McDaniels would have no hand in any personnel decisions. In McDaniels' lone season in St. Louis, the Rams finished with a 2-14 record and a fourth place finish in theNFC West.
Following the2011 season, the Rams fired Spagnuolo as head coach. While McDaniels was under contract for the 2012 season, the Rams informed him that they would not hold him to his contract, and would allow McDaniels to leave.[20] The Patriots then hired him to act as an offensive assistant coach during their2011 playoffs, and to replaceBill O'Brien as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the2012 season. O'Brien left the Patriots after the2011 season ended to become head coach atPenn State, but maintained play calling duties throughSuper Bowl XLVI.
During the2014 season, McDaniels was a part of another championship for the Patriots, winningSuper Bowl XLIX against theSeattle Seahawks despite a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.[21] During the2016 season, McDaniels coached the offense in another Patriots championship season, this time winningSuper Bowl LI against theAtlanta Falcons. In the game, the Patriots defeated the Falcons by a score of 34–28 in overtime, this time coming from a 25-point deficit. The Patriots scored only nine points in the first three quarters, but overcame a 28–3 third quarter deficit to tie the game in the last minute and win in overtime.[22]
Two days afterSuper Bowl LII where the Patriots lost 41–33 to thePhiladelphia Eagles, on February 6, 2018, McDaniels was announced as the new head coach of theIndianapolis Colts.[23] However, he withdrew from the position on the same day and announced that he had decided to stay with the Patriots.[24][25] In response, McDaniels' long-time agent,Bob LaMonte, terminated his representation of McDaniels.[26] The Patriots went on to winSuper Bowl LIII in2018, earning McDaniels his third championship as offensive coordinator.[27] From 2012 until his hire in Las Vegas, McDaniels was both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for every year in his second stint with the Patriots, except for2020, whenJedd Fisch was hired as quarterbacks coach.
On January 31, 2022, McDaniels was hired as the head coach of theLas Vegas Raiders, signing a six-year contract.[28] His first win with the Raiders was a 32–23 victory over his former team, the Denver Broncos, in Week 4.
Throughout the 2022 season, McDaniels was criticized for his team's inability to hold leads and close out games.[29] He received criticism for Las Vegas's Week 10 loss to anIndianapolis Colts team led by the debuting interim head coachJeff Saturday, who was hired earlier that week to replace the recently dismissedFrank Reich despite having no previous NFL coaching experience heading into the game.[30][31] Despite the team's performance in that game, Raiders ownerMark Davis expressed his support for McDaniels the next day.Los Angeles Times sportswriterBill Plaschke suggested in a report that Davis was allowing McDaniels to remain the head coach not because of the team's performance, but because the owner did not have enough cash on hand to pay his coach a sizable severance package.[32][33] McDaniels' first year with the Raiders ended with a 6–11 record and the departure of long-time quarterbackDerek Carr.[34]
Before the 2023 season,Jimmy Garoppolo was signed as the Raiders starting quarterback on a three-year, $72.5 million contract, based on his past work with McDaniels when they were both with the New England Patriots. However Garoppolo was still recovering from an injured foot, so the deal was contingent upon passing a physical prior to Week 1 (which he did) as otherwise the Raiders could have released him without owing compensation.[35] On September 24, 2023, during a game against thePittsburgh Steelers, McDaniels came under intense criticism for kicking a field goal down by eight points with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Though the field goal was successful, the Raiders did not get another reasonable chance to score and they lost by a final score of 23–18. He then came under even more scrutiny for saying it was a two possession game.[36] McDaniels, along with General ManagerDave Ziegler, were fired from the Raiders on October 31, 2023, after a 3–5 start to the season, while Garoppolo was benched for the rest of the season in favor of rookieAidan O'Connell.[37] McDaniels finished his Raiders tenure with a 9–16 record,[38] and his contract, reportedly worth $60 million, is fully guaranteed through 2027.[39] Following his firing, the NFLPA ranked McDaniels as the lowest rated head coach in the league for 2023.[40]
On January 22, 2025, McDaniels was brought back to the Patriots to be their offensive coordinator under new head coachMike Vrabel.[41] Under McDaniels' playcalling in the 2025 season, the Patriots were the second best scoring offense in the league with the average of 28.8 points per game, improving from the previous season, where they placed in the bottom three with 16.1 points per game underAlex Van Pelt.[42][43] McDaniels was also credited for the development of second-year quarterbackDrake Maye.[44] With the improvement in the Patriots offense and Maye's development into an MVP candidate, McDaniels was awarded with the 2025AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.[45]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| DEN | 2009 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in AFC West | — | — | — | — |
| DEN | 2010 | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | Fired | — | — | — | — |
| DEN total | 11 | 17 | 0 | .393 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| LV | 2022 | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 3rd in AFC West | — | — | — | — |
| LV | 2023 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | Fired | — | — | — | — |
| LV total | 9 | 16 | 0 | .360 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| Total | 20 | 33 | 0 | .377 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
McDaniels is the son ofThom McDaniels, who was voted the 1997USA Today High School Coach of the Year in the state of Ohio.[8] Attending his father's practices during his youth has been credited with inspiring McDaniels to enter coaching. McDaniels' brother,Ben McDaniels, is an assistant coach for theHouston Texans.
McDaniels and his wife have four children.
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