The Philadelphia Eagles could be an ideal landing spot for a well-known coach.
As head coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman scour the market for coordinator candidates, one name that could be appealing is former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, as Eagles Wire’s Glenn Erby writes. While McDaniels most recently served as the Raiders’ head coach, he’s best known for his long tenure as the New England Patriots‘ offensive coordinator.
Erby points to McDAniels’ recent success with Mac Jones as the quarterback of the Patriots. Jones led New England to a playoff berth and secured a Pro Bowl selection during his rookie season in 2021. Since McDaniels’ departure, Jones holds an 8-17 record and lost his starting job to Bailey Zappe this season.
“McDaniel’s should never be an NFL head coach again, but you can’t deny his offensive accumen, or results as a coordinator,” writes Erby. “McDaniels got Jones to play the best football of his three-year career as a rookie in 2021. Jones threw 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions with a 92.5 passer rating that season, leading the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth.”
Josh McDaniels Considered One of NFL’s Best Offensive Minds
It’s no secret that McDaniels has failed as a head coach in the NFL. After a disastrous two-year stint with the Denver Broncos during the 2009 and 2010 seasons — he was the youngest head coach and led Denver to an 11-17 record before his firing before the end of 2010 — McDaniels was fired as the Raiders’ head coach during the 2023 season. He had signed a six-year contract worth $10 million annually with Las Vegas.
McDaniels led the Raiders to a 9-16 record with a 3-5 record this season prior to his firing. Once Antonio Pierce was promoted as the interim head coach, Las Vegas went 5-4 to close out the season.
However, for all of his shortcomings as a head coach, McDaniels is an offensive mastermind. McDaniels presided as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the Patriots’ 16-0 2007 regular season. That was the same season that Tom Brady broke the single-season record for touchdown passes (50) while also breaking the single-season record for points (589).
After leaving the Patriots for the Broncos’ head coaching job and a short stint with the St. Louis Rams, he returned to the Patriots in 2012 as the offensive coordinator. The Patriots immediately led the NFL in points in his first season back and ranked in the top four in McDaniels’ first seven seasons back in New England.
Why Eagles Could Soon Find New Offensive Coordinator
While the Eagles technically have Brian Johnson employed as their offensive coordinator, he has gone through several interviews for open head coaching vacancies — Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons — and Philadelphia could seek a change after struggling on offense towards the end of the season.
The Eagles scored nine points in their playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and averaged 16.7 points per game in their last three games, ranking 26th in the NFL.
If the Eagles are serious about pivoting away from their current coordinators, it’s hard to find a better name than McDaniels to lead your offense. Considering his prior history with Brady and Jones as his quarterbacks, the Eagles could rejuvenate their offense by hiring the former longtime Patriots head coach.
