Josh McDaniels to Return as Patriots OC: Latest Comments and Reaction

Despite heavy interest from head coach-needy teams throughout the NFL, Josh McDaniels will remain the New England Patriots offensive coordinator.

"At this time, best for family and myself to remain here in New England," McDaniels said Monday, according to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.

McDaniels interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers' head coaching vacancy earlier in the month before opting to stay with New England. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tom Cable and Kyle Shanahan are now the favorites to land the job.

Toward the end of the 2016 campaign, it looked like McDaniels' future would be outside Massachusetts. The MMQB's Albert Breer reported on Jan. 1 the 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams were all targeting the 40-year-old to potentially fill their coaching vacancies.

Prior to his return to New England, McDaniels compiled an 11-17 record in a year-and-a-half as head coach of the Denver Broncos.

His time in Denver ended in ignominy, with a videotaping scandal serving as a prelude for his departure. The league fined the Broncos and McDaniels $50,000 after a team employee filmed a 49ers practice before a game in London. The NFL punished McDaniels after he failed to report the incident.

At the time of McDaniels' firing, Mike Klis of the Denver Post wrote that "it was the integrity assaults the organization took in the aftermath of a spying scandal that sped up his dismissal."

McDaniels also drew criticism following his handling—or mishandling in many fans' eyes—of the Broncos roster.

Grantland's Matt Borcas recounted in October 2014 that McDaniels upset many Broncos players and head coaches across the league during his short time in Denver.

One of his first acts after taking over was a potential Jay Cutler-for-Matt Cassel trade, according to ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen, which didn't sit well with Cutler. The team eventually dealt Cutler to the Bears in April 2009. McDaniels also alienated Brandon Marshall to the point the Pro Bowl wide receiver was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2010.

After his departure from Denver, McDaniels ended up as the offensive coordinator for the then-St. Louis Rams for a season before going back to the Patriots, where he enjoyed most of his coaching success. He has also rebuilt his coaching reputation after turning New England into one of the league's best offensive outfits.

Below is where the team ranked over the last five years in yards per game, points per game and Football Outsiders' offensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average):

Year	YPG	PPG	Off. DVOA
2012	1st (427.9)	1 (34.8)	1st (30.8%)
2013	7th (384.5)	3rd (27.8)	4th (16.4%)
2014	11th (365.5)	4th (29.3)	6th (13.6%)
2015	6th (374.4)	3rd (29.1)	5th (15.4%)
2016	4th (386.3)	3rd (27.6)	2nd (21.1%)

McDaniels may not want to mess with a good thing after having found a comfort zone in New England.

The coaching vacancies that he was linked to—particularly the 49ers—may not have interested him that much, either.

CEO Jed York's handling of the team has been highly scrutinized after he fired Chip Kelly following one season on the job. Whoever replaces Kelly will have to overcome the level of dysfunction in the team's front office.

The San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami thought any concerns McDaniels might have had about the 49ers would have been justified:

Having already been fired once, McDaniels is likely waiting for the perfect opportunity to become a head coach again. It's doubtful he'd get another opportunity should his second stint be as equally underwhelming as his Broncos tenure was.

So long as the Patriots boast one of the league's best offenses in 2017, McDaniels should again have options as he ponders his next coaching move.