Robert Kraft Discusses Patriots' OC Hire

The New England Patriots made some major changes to their front office in the initial weeks of their offseason.

Outside of their head coaching change in Mike Vrabel, one of the other significant shifts on the staff lies within the re-introduction of Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator, his third time holding the role for New England.

And when asking Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the decision to bring back McDaniels was one spearheaded by Coach Vrabel –– as he voiced in his interview during Super Bowl week with The Athletic's Chad Graff.

"When we interviewed Mike [Vrabel] and asked whom he might be interested in bringing on, without a pause, his first one was to bring Josh McDaniels because he thought it would be something very special for Drake [Maye]," Kraft said. "Their experience and chemistry together is very positive. I think that was a good development. From every way you look at it, I think it's a win-win. It was his decision. Josh was very excited. Hope we get the fruits of the potential positives out of that. He has a pretty good history of developing and dealing with good quarterbacks and developing an offense that can really produce."

McDaniels has been part of several successful offensive seasons from the Patriots, whether that be during the Tom Brady years or making Mac Jones a Pro Bowler during his rookie season, the track record is there to have optimism in New England's decision.

But McDaniels enters the fold with some big responsibilities –– largely leaning on how he approaches the development of Drake Maye entering his second year, and how he can boost this Patriots offense up from their bottom-ranked offense from the 2024 season.

Yet, Coach Vrabel seems more than confident in McDaniels' abilities, considering he placed him first on the priority list to bring in as New England's next offensive coordinator. And that confidence ultimately rubs off on Kraft to further back the choice to bring back the familiar face.

For McDaniels, the overarching goal will be to bring stability and experience while maximizing the Patriots' budding franchise star in Maye. Time will tell if he can make it happen.

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