Josh McDaniels is an American football coach, currently the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, a role he has held for 14 non-consecutive seasons. During his first tenure (2006-2008), the Patriots set an NFL record for points scored in a season and achieved a perfect 16-0 regular season in 2007. He returned for a second stint (2012-2021) where the Patriots won three Super Bowl titles. McDaniels rejoined New England for a third time in 2025.
April 22, 1976: Josh McDaniels Born
On April 22, 1976, Joshua Thomas McDaniels was born. He later became an American professional football coach.
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1995: McDaniels Begins College Football Career
In 1995, Josh McDaniels began his college football career at John Carroll University, primarily playing as a wide receiver.
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1997: Thom McDaniels Named Coach of the Year
In 1997, Thom McDaniels, Josh McDaniels' father, was voted the USA Today High School Coach of the Year in Ohio.
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1998: McDaniels Ends College Football Career
In 1998, Josh McDaniels concluded his college football career at John Carroll University.
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1999: McDaniels Begins Coaching Career at Michigan State
In 1999, Josh McDaniels started his coaching career as a senior graduate assistant at Michigan State University.
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2001: McDaniels Joins the Patriots
In 2001, Josh McDaniels joined the New England Patriots as a personnel assistant.
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2001: Former Teammate Joins Patriots
In 2001, Nick Caserio, a former teammate of McDaniels at John Carroll University, joined the New England Patriots staff.
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2002: McDaniels Becomes Defensive Coaching Assistant
From 2002, Josh McDaniels served as a defensive coaching assistant for the Patriots.
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2003: McDaniels Coaches Defensive Backs
In 2003, Josh McDaniels worked with the defensive backs as a defensive coaching assistant for the Patriots.
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2004: McDaniels Becomes Quarterbacks Coach
In 2004, Josh McDaniels was appointed as the quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots.
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2005: McDaniels Calls Offensive Plays
In 2005, Josh McDaniels unofficially called the offensive plays for the Patriots after Charlie Weis's departure.
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2006: McDaniels Becomes Patriots Offensive Coordinator
In 2006, Josh McDaniels began his first stint as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.
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2007: Patriots Set Scoring Record
In 2007, under McDaniels' guidance, the New England Patriots set a season record for points scored and achieved a perfect 16-0 regular season record.
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2007: Patriots Set NFL Records with McDaniels
In the 2007 season, with Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator, the Patriots set NFL records for touchdowns and points scored, fueling rumors of head coaching opportunities for McDaniels.
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January 2008: McDaniels Withdraws From Head Coaching Consideration
In January 2008, Josh McDaniels withdrew his name from consideration for head coaching positions during the Patriots' playoff run.
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2008: Brady Injury and Cassel-led Offense
During the 2008 season, Josh McDaniels directed the Patriots' offense led by Matt Cassel after Tom Brady suffered a season-ending injury.
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2008: End of First Patriots Stint
In 2008 Josh McDaniels concluded his initial tenure as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.
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2008: Report in The New York Times
In 2008, The New York Times reported on McDaniels' role in calling offensive plays for the 2005 season.
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January 11, 2009: McDaniels Named Broncos Head Coach
On January 11, 2009, Josh McDaniels was named the head coach of the Denver Broncos, signing a four-year, $8 million contract.
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March 9, 2009: Cutler-McDaniels Conference Call Fails
On March 9, 2009, a conference call involving Josh McDaniels, team owner Pat Bowlen, and Jay Cutler failed to resolve issues related to a potential trade, leading Cutler to distrust McDaniels and the organization.
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April 2, 2009: Broncos Trade Jay Cutler
On April 2, 2009, the Denver Broncos, under Josh McDaniels, traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for Kyle Orton and draft picks.
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2009: McDaniels Becomes Broncos Head Coach
In 2009, Josh McDaniels became the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
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2009: Scarnecchia Hired by Broncos
In 2009, Steve Scarnecchia was hired as director of video operations for the Denver Broncos by Josh McDaniels.
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November 27, 2010: Broncos Under Investigation
On November 27, 2010, it was reported that the NFL was investigating the Denver Broncos, led by Josh McDaniels, for allegedly videotaping a San Francisco 49ers' walkthrough practice.
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2010: McDaniels Continues as Broncos Head Coach
In 2010, Josh McDaniels continued his tenure as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
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2010: Broncos Receive Draft Pick
In 2010, the Broncos received a first-round pick as a result of trading Jay Cutler in 2009.
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January 18, 2011: McDaniels Becomes Rams Offensive Coordinator
On January 18, 2011, Josh McDaniels agreed to become the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams under head coach Steve Spagnuolo.
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2011: Rams Fire Spagnuolo
Following the 2011 season, the Rams fired head coach Steve Spagnuolo.
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2012: McDaniels Returns to Patriots
From 2012, Josh McDaniels served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Patriots during his second stint.
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2012: McDaniels Returns to Patriots
In 2012, Josh McDaniels began his second stint as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.
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2012: McDaniels Returns to Patriots as Offensive Coordinator
In 2012, Josh McDaniels returned to the New England Patriots as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
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2014: Patriots Win Super Bowl XLIX
In 2014, Josh McDaniels was part of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks.
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2016: Patriots Win Super Bowl LI
In 2016, Josh McDaniels coached the offense for the Patriots as they won Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, overcoming a 25-point deficit.
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February 6, 2018: McDaniels Accepts and Withdraws Colts Head Coach Position
On February 6, 2018, Josh McDaniels was announced as the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts but withdrew from the position on the same day to stay with the Patriots, leading to his agent terminating their representation.
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2020: Jedd Fisch Hired as Quarterbacks Coach
In 2020, Jedd Fisch was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Patriots, while Josh McDaniels continued as offensive coordinator.
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2021: End of Second Patriots Stint
In 2021 Josh McDaniels concluded his second tenure as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.
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January 31, 2022: McDaniels Hired as Raiders Head Coach
On January 31, 2022, Josh McDaniels was hired as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
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2022: McDaniels Becomes Raiders Head Coach
In 2022, Josh McDaniels became the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
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2022: Criticism During 2022 Season
Throughout the 2022 season, Josh McDaniels faced criticism for the Raiders' inability to hold leads and close out games.
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September 24, 2023: McDaniels Criticized for Late-Game Decision
On September 24, 2023, Josh McDaniels faced heavy criticism for kicking a field goal while down by eight points with just over two minutes remaining in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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October 31, 2023: McDaniels Fired by Raiders
On October 31, 2023, Josh McDaniels was fired from his position as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after a 3-5 start to the season.
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2023: McDaniels Coaches Raiders
In 2023, Josh McDaniels continued his tenure as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
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January 22, 2025: McDaniels Returns to Patriots as Offensive Coordinator
On January 22, 2025, Josh McDaniels was brought back to the New England Patriots to serve as their offensive coordinator under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
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2025: McDaniels Joins Patriots a Third Time
In 2025, Josh McDaniels rejoined the New England Patriots for a third stint as offensive coordinator.
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