How close was Josh McDaniels to replacing Bill Belichick? Report details how ex-Raiders head coach missed his chance

The New England Patriots need a new head coach and general manager for the 2024 NFL season. Owner Rober Kraft "mutually agreed" to part ways with Bill Belichick, who has been serving in both of those roles, after 24 years. Their partnership with the franchise is one of the most successful dynasties in sports history, so the announcement marks the end of an iconic era.

While it has yet to be officially announced, many reports have indicated that Jerod Mayo is expected to be named the Patriots' replacement. He currently serves as their linebackers coach but has a "succession plan" clause in his contract.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport:

"They established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract & communicated it to the NFL."

Rapoport went on to explain that by having this plan officially in place through legal contractual writing, the Patriots are within their rights to skip the NFL's required hiring process for head coaches. They can choose to simply promote Jerod Mayo without considering outside candidates as the rules usually require.

While this sounds like an unprecedented situation, Rapoport also gave examples of other times this has happened in the past. These include Tony Dungy with the Indianapolis Colts, Eric DeCosta with the Baltimore Ravens, and Jim Mora with the Seattle Seahawks.

In fact, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Patriots have used this same strategic contract clause in the past with former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He apparently had the same type of succession plan offer from the franchise before choosing to leave and accept the job as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Anderson explained:

"The idea was pitched before when Josh McDaniels was in New England as well. Ultimately, McDaniels went on to Las Vegas, but the mechanism got privately reapplied."

Josh McDaniels departed the New England Patriots for the Las Vegas Raiders before the 2022 NFL season. He likely did so because he wanted to be a head coach again, and while he was the alleged successor to Bill Belichick, no clear timeline existed for when he could be promoted. He took the sure thing with the Raiders instead, as Belichick's future was undefined.

His ambition may have backfired on him as the Raiders fired him in the middle of just his second season. He got his wish of being a head coach again after a failed run with the Denver Broncos, but it was short-lived, and he probably would have preferred the same position with the Patriots.

If he had waited just two more years, Josh McDaniels would likely be the head coach in New England next season, not Jerod Mayo. On the other hand, it's possible that the Patriots would have had more recent success if McDaniels never left, which could have potentially locked Belichick in for longer.

This is presumably why he took the guaranteed job, but he appears to have just slightly missed out on his alleged preference of the Patriots.

Ranking every NFL team without a head coach

Now that Bill Belichick is essentially a free agent, he could seek out a new job during the NFL offseason. He figures to draw plenty of interest from most of the teams with a head coach vacancy but is also rumored to be connected to certain mystery teams as well that don't currently have an opening, at least not yet.

As Belichick weighs his potential options, he will likely be looking to join a team that he believes can compete for a Super Bowl ring in the immediate future. With that in mind, here's how the seven teams without a head coach would rank in terms of potential desirability.

Los Angeles Chargers
Seattle Seahawks
Atlanta Falcons
Las Vegas Raiders
Washington Commanders
Tennessee Titans
Carolina Panthers