The Patriots have interviewed Josh McDaniels and Vikings offensive assistant Grant Udinski for their offensive coordinator position, sources confirmed to the Herald.
McDaniels has been out of football since being fired as the Raiders’ head coach midway through the 2023 season. If hired, McDaniels would return for his third stint as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, having worked in that role from 2006-2008 and then 2012-2021.
Over his last season in New England, the Patriots averaged 27.4 points per game, something they haven’t done since McDaniels left. That year, McDaniels also developed then first-round rookie quarterback Mac Jones into a Pro Bowl alternate. The Patriots’ next offensive coordinator will be responsible for the development of quarterback Drake Maye, who heads into his second NFL season after a successful rookie campaign.
McDaniels brings two decades of experience coaching quarterbacks, dating back to his first year on staff in 2024. He coached Tom Brady for most of Brady’s tenure in New England, along with Jones, Matt Cassel, Cam Newton and others. Over McDaniels’ two prior stints, the Patriots’ offense morphed several times from a spread attack to a two-tight end operation and power running team.
McDaniels’ experience as a head coach, coordinator and quarterbacks coach figures to appeal to new coach Mike Vrabel. While the team have never worked together, McDaniels’ was on staff for all of Vrabel’s playing days in New England from 2001-2008. They later went head-to-head as offensive and defensive assistants, then head coaches.
Since McDaniels’ departure, the Pats have cycled through three different offensive play-callers in as many years and annually ranked among the league’s worst offensive teams.
Over the weekend, the Patriots also interviewed Udinski, a 28-year-old rising star in Minnesota. This season, Udinski worked as the Vikings’ assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach. Udinski first coached quarterbacks in 2023, a year after arriving in Minnesota as assistant to the head coach with a focus on special projects.
Udinski made his NFL debut as a coaching assistant in Carolina, where he worked under former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule from 2020-21. Rhule first hired Udinski as a graduate assistant at Baylor University in 2019. Over the four previous years, Udinski played college football at Towson University and Davidson College.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said this season he believes Udinski will become a head coach and offensive coordinator soon.
“He’s got such an unbelievable understanding, from his background on offense and defense, and his sheer football stamina is something I really admire,” O’Connell told the Minnesota Star Tribune in November. “I joke with him all the time, ‘Nobody loves football like you, man.’ His mind never really wanders from it.”
The Patriots’ other known candidates are ex-Bears and Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and Chargers pass game coordinator Marcus Brady. Brown and Brady both interviewed last week, which satisfied the NFL’s Rooney Rule mandating teams interview two external minority and/or female candidates for open coordinator positions.
The Patriots are free to hire whomever they want for their offensive coordinator job at any time. Vrabel must also fill his defensive coordinator position, with Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams reportedly viewed as a leading candidate.
The Pats opted to retain special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer early this week, per source. Springer was hired last offseason under former head coach Jerod Mayo after coaching with the Rams for two seasons. He led the Patriots to a top special teams ranking by both Pro Football Focus grades and DVOA this past year.