The New England Patriots have hired former Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels as their new offensive coordinator — his third stint in that role with the team, but his first since the departure of longtime mentor Bill Belichick.
The Patriots, who named Mike Vrabel as coach this month, also hired Terrell Williams, who spent six years on Vrabel's staff in Tennessee, as defensive coordinator and retained current New England special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer.
McDaniels was the Patriots OC during Vrabel’s final three seasons as a player in New England and was one of the longest-tenured assistants under Belichick, working for him a total 15 years, including nine as offensive coordinator, and all six of the franchise's Super Bowl wins. He also served as quarterbacks coach, working with Tom Brady; McDaniels now will be charged with mentoring Drake Maye as he enters his second season.
Williams was the Lions defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator last season, when the Detroit defense allowed just 98.4 yards per game in 2024, the fifth-fewest yards in the NFL. He was on Vrabel's first staff in Tennessee and was promoted to assistant head coach in 2023.
After Vrabel was fired by the Titans following the 2023 season, he released a statement in support of Williams being named as a head coach of the Senior Bowl collegiate showcase game.
“There is no more deserving person to be a head coach for the Senior Bowl or any level than Terrell Williams,” Vrabel said then. “His loyalty, dedication, and service to the Titans program for the last six years has not gone unnoticed. Terrell is a creative teacher and developer who also makes a unique connection with his players and those on the other side of the ball. I can’t thank him enough for the impact that he has made on me personally as well as with our team. I am excited to watch him excel as a head coach in the Senior Bowl."
Under Springer, Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler earned first team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl invitation, and Marcus Jones was second in the NFL with a 14.8-yard average on punt returns. Prior to his arrival in New England, Springer spent two seasons as a special teams assistant with the Los Angeles Rams and eight seasons coaching in college.
McDaniels left New England in 2009 to become the Broncos head coach for two years, followed by one season in St. Louis as the Rams offensive coordinator. He then returned to the Patriots before leaving again in 2021 to take over the Raiders, where he was fired eight games into the 2023 season.
The Patriots also interviewed Vikings assistant offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, former Chicago Bears interim coach Thomas Brown and Los Angeles Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Kyle Hightower And Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
