Josh McDaniels will not interview for Cleveland Browns head coach job
By Dan Justik
One of the coaches most connected to the Cleveland Browns, Josh McDaniels said he will not be interviewing for any available head coach position.
Despite plenty of speculation connecting the Cleveland Browns to Josh McDaniels, the New England Patriots offensive coordinator said Tuesday that the ‘book is closed’ to interview for head coach openings in 2019, according to NFL Network’s Michael Giardi.
The Canton Repository reported last week that McDaniels was ‘very interested’ in the Browns job, and the Browns were showing interest in the 42-year-old coach through back channels.
However, McDaniels put an end to those rumors Tuesday, saying that he had not talked to the Browns this off-season about their head coach position.
Asked #Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels if he has spoken the #Browns about their head coach vacancy. He tells me he has not. @nflnetwork
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) January 8, 2019
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Many assumed that McDaniels would be one of the favorites for the Browns job because of his offensive prowess and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam being interested in him in recent years. It is expected that the Browns want a coach that can help develop quarterback Baker Mayfield and be his coach for the next decade.
However, with the emergence of Browns interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens during the second half of the season, Cleveland no longer has to look for an offensive coach to pair with Mayfield. Instead, they have been able to open up their coaching search and look at defensive coaches, including Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and New England’s linebacker coach Brian Flores.
Although the Browns do not need to find a offensive minded head coach, it was mildly surprising that McDaniels did not receive an interview request from Cleveland. His offense has remained one of the top offenses in the league, and he has been known to push Tom Brady.
McDaniels spurning the Colts last off-season likely was a main reason in the Browns not asking to interview him. Colts general manager Chris Ballard is close friends with Browns general manager John Dorsey, so Dorsey was able to find out everything he needed to know about what happened. Dorsey’s agent was also McDaniels’ agent at the time, but decided to move on from the coach after the Colts drama.
Next. NFL HC candidate: Browns are ‘best job out there’. dark
The only position that McDaniels interviewed for this off-season was with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers filled that position on Monday when they hired Matt LaFleur. With that job filled, McDaniels had no other options. He was also asked to interview for the Cincinnati Bengals job opening, but he turned down that request.