Super Bowl 2026: Josh McDaniels' strange career could include an NFL record with a win on Sunday

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — We’ll get to Josh McDaniels’ head-teaching narrative in a second, but first, he deserves some flowers.

McDaniels is abet in the Wide Bowl, which is a well-recognized spot for him. He is without doubt one of the few New England Patriots who procure been a ingredient of all six Wide Bowl championship groups for the franchise. He became an assistant for the first three title groups (personnel assistant in 2001, defensive assistant in 2003, quarterbacks coach in 2004) and an offensive coordinator for the closing three.

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This one is totally different, and potentially historic. McDaniels is abet without head coach Bill Belichick or quarterback Tom Brady. Now it’s Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye, the latter of which McDaniels helped get into an MVP candidate in Maye’s second season.

Having a huge season without Brady and taking Maye to a giant establish level is spectacular, and so is this: If the Patriots get Wide Bowl LX, this will moreover very well be the fourth time McDaniels has won a Wide Bowl ring as a coordinator. That can tie Steve Spagnuolo’s NFL narrative for Wide Bowl wins as a coordinator. McDaniels doesn’t flip 50 years outdated till April.

“It plot I’ve been spherical plenty of mountainous other folks,” McDaniels said on Wednesday at the Patriots’ Wide Bowl LX media availability. “None of us would be here if it wasn’t for a mountainous neighborhood of parents in the group that lend a hand us assign our jobs. The gamers deserve the most credit ranking for all those issues we’ve had in the previous.

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“You are trying to assign the handiest for your role to lend a hand the group get, and would perchance procure to you’re so lucky and lucky to be portion of this thing, you look after it.”

There became a matter if Spagnuolo deserves consideration as a possible Legit Soccer Hall of Famer. No coach has made the Hall of Reputation essentially based fully essentially on their work as a coordinator. Per chance it’s time to procure that dialog about McDaniels too.

Alternatively, that’s subtle.

Josh McDaniels’ queer profession arc

It’s exhausting to reconcile these two facts: McDaniels is without doubt one of the finished coordinators in NFL historical previous. He is moreover will seemingly be remembered as of the worst NFL head coaches in most up-to-date memory, if he doesn’t get but any other shot to lead a bunch.

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McDaniels got two probabilities to be a head coach and both resulted in midseason firings amid the franchise burning to the ground. McDaniels became 11-17 as Broncos head coach, and that came after a 6-0 originate. He became fired due to losses and controversy; he became fined $50,000 for the group videotaping a 49ers be conscious sooner than a recreation in London.

McDaniels’ time with the Las Vegas Raiders wasn’t larger. He went 9-16 and became fired after a bunch meeting in which gamers ripped McDaniels for his teaching model.

These two stops don’t rely the time McDaniels common the Indianapolis Colts’ head teaching job in 2018 but by no plot got on the airplane to Indianapolis, choosing to abet out of the job and dwell with New England as its offensive coordinator.

There procure surely been united statesand downs for the length of his profession as a coach.

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“It’s soccer,” McDaniels said. “The recreation of soccer is an horrifying recreation. I are trying to learn the handiest I will each 365 days, each week, to rob a ogle at to recuperate.

“The failings for your profession are great adore the failings in any totally different ingredient of your lifestyles. You nearly surely learn the most from them. I’ve had a possibility to grow from the issues I haven’t performed as well and confidently I’ve taken plump merit of those issues and take a look at out to be the handiest model of myself going forward.”

In most totally different eventualities, a coach on the gorgeous side of fifty years outdated who’s taken into fable an offensive whiz and wonderful developed a second-365 days quarterback into an MVP candidate on the formula to the Wide Bowl would be atop many groups’ checklist of head-teaching candidates. Not one of the coordinators employed this cycle procure a larger resume as an assistant coach than McDaniels. But coaches with 20-33 info of their first two stops as a head coach usually don’t get a Third likelihood, especially when there’s as great baggage as McDaniels as peaceful in that role.

“Every single day is in the future at a time for me now,” McDaniels said in regards to the likelihood of being a head coach once more. “I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m incredibly tickled to be here and doing what I’m doing, I adore my job. I adore the role I even procure. I adore the neighborhood I’m with. Whatever that thought is down the side street, we’ll figure that out. But I couldn’t be extra tickled where I’m at.”

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McDaniels an infinite portion of Drake Maye’s breakout

Whatever points procure steer clear off McDaniels from success as a head coach, it’s very now not going to drawl his soccer acumen.

The Patriots had been 4-13 final season as McDaniels took a 365 days off following the Raiders’ debacle. Mike Vrabel became employed by New England, he employed McDaniels to hurry the offense and the Patriots went 14-3. Maye led the NFL by ending 72% of his passes and moreover throwing for 8.9 yards per are trying.

Vrabel has gotten plenty of credit ranking, and can seemingly get NFL Coach of the 365 days when it’s miles announced on Thursday. McDaniels is a huge portion of this championship season too, obviously.

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“Josh is constantly on high of it,” Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte said. “With the sport thought, he stories the somewhat plenty of group truly well. I constantly feel adore he’s one step ahead.

“What impressed me most is I’ve by no plot had an offensive coordinator that is admittedly hands on and constantly one step ahead.”

Being as a hit as McDaniels has been is moreover extra than calling the coolest route theory to beat a Conceal-3 defense. There became a second for the length of the Patriots’ AFC championship recreation get at the Broncos in which Maye, who would be the second-youngest quarterback ever to initiate a Wide Bowl, gave the impression frustrated on the bench. It became frigid, windy and the subject became lined in snow.

“It’s exhausting,” Maye said as he became mic’ed up. “Correct god.”

McDaniels chuckled and informed Maye: “Listen to me. Gaze at me. It’s going to be exhausting. But secret agent, this will seemingly be the most rewarding six-and-a-half minutes of our lives if we are capable of get it performed.”

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New England closed the get with Maye working for a first down that allowed the Patriots to hurry out the clock.

When McDaniels and Brady had been working together, it wasn’t queer to secret agent the two having heated arguments on the sideline. That became portion of their relationship. The calming second with Maye on the bench in Denver is now not a side of McDaniels that is portion of his reputation.

“You are trying to assign the coolest thing as a coach, no subject when it’s miles, whether it’s Tuesday night in the location of enterprise or you’re freezing frigid on the bench in the fourth quarter of a playoff recreation,” McDaniels said when requested about that second on the bench. “Whatever they need from you, no subject they require at the time, is what you’re truly supposed to rob a ogle at to present them.

“I even procure four formative years between the ages of 13 and 21, and they require steering and as great wisdom as my wife and I will give them, as great as that you might per chance well presumably think. I restful think that’s portion of my job as a coach.”