Mike Vrabel's search for an offensive coordinator will start today.
The new Patriots coach told WEEI's 'The Greg Hill Show' that he'll immediately start the hiring process for his coaching staff. One name on his list is very familiar to Patriots fans.
Vrabel confirmed that former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is on his list of potential playcallers. Hired on Sunday, Vrabel said it'll be a long and extensive search to find the right fit for his staff.
"Yeah," Vrabel said when asked if McDaniels was on his list of candidates. "It's a long list. There's a long list, and, you know - I've had a relationship with Josh, and I've had relationships with other offensive coaches and defensive coaches that we're going to interview and want to bring in here."
This offseason, McDaniels was rumored to be attached to Vrabel wherever the head coach landed. Although the two never coached on the same staff, the pair crossed paths in New England from 2001 to 2008 when Vrabel played.
McDaniels, 48, worked in New England from 2001-2008 and again from 2012-2021. He's best known for his work as the team's offensive coordinator and has six Super Bowl championships on his resume. McDaniels had a great working relationship with Tom Brady but also got the most out of Mac Jones during the 2021 season. That year, the Patriots finished sixth in the NFL in scoring and Jones earned Pro Bowl alternate honors.
McDaniels left New England in 2022 to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. He didn't coach last season after being fired in 2023.
"I'm gonna look at every possible candidate that I feel like can help us," said Vrabel. "We're going to start that process today, this afternoon, and visit with some great coaches and then we'll see where things go."
McDaniels isn't the only rumored candidate attached to Vabel. Another name is Tommy Rees, who worked with Vrabel last year in Cleveland as the Browns pass game specialist and tight ends coach.
Whoever Vrabel hires will be in charge of getting the most out of Drake Maye. It's an important job to fill and Vrabel said he plans on making the most of the search and hire process.
"No timelines," said Vrabel. "Same thing we talked about yesterday. We're not gonna deal with timelines with injuries. Or, you know, we're not gonna deal with the hiring of staff and when that's going to be complete.
"It's a long process. It's one that, you know, will go out a few weeks. It could go out longer than that, right? It's always delicate when you have teams that are continuing to play in the playoffs, potentially the movement that could occur with coaches on other staffs and related to their contracts. So it's not as cut and dry as, 'Hey, these guys are gonna walk in tomorrow, and we're gonna have a full staff.'"