McDaniels was New England’s offensive coordinator on two separate occasions in the past.

With owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick conducting a series of meetings following a 4-13 season, the future of the New England Patriots remains to be determined. As of Tuesday morning, all outcomes still appear to be on the table — including the return of a former assistant coach with a long history of working under Belichick.

According to a report by Jeff Howe of The Athletic, former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is a candidate to return in case Belichick stays on as the team’s head coach. For McDaniels, this would be his third stint in New England.

McDaniels, 47, spent parts of 19 seasons working under Belichick. One of a handful of people who were on board for all six of the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins, he climbed up the organizational ladder in his first stint with the organization: starting out as a personnel assistant in 2001, he held various roles before being promoted offensive coordinator in 2006.

McDaniels held that position for three years before joining the Denver Broncos as their head coach. His stint in Denver was a disappointment, and he was let go midway through his second season. By the 2011 playoffs — via a brief tenure in St. Louis — he was back in New England serving as an assistant to soon-departing offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

He resumed offensive coordinator duties the following year, and over the next decade contributed to the team winning three more championships. While most of his success came working alongside future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, McDaniels also helped then-rookie quarterback Mac Jones to a successful first year in the system: under the veteran coach, Jones looked like a potential future franchise QB.

However, McDaniels leaving in 2022 to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders altered that outlook. While he again did not last two full seasons and was fired in October after starting his tenure with a 9-16 record, Jones failed to build on his promising first season and was eventually benched in favor of backup Bailey Zappe.

Now, it appears a reunion might be an option. Whether that will help Jones bounce back from consecutive underwhelming seasons, or indeed even keep him on the team in the first place, would remain to be seen.

McDaniels does vast experience working in New England and has good relationships with the people inside the building, though; just recently, he was spotted attending the team’s season finale against the New York Jets. Add the fact that he would still be paid by the Raiders for the remaining four seasons of his original six-year deal, and that him departing a third time seems unlikely at this point, and there are several arguments in favor of a reunion.

All that being said, nothing appears set in stone yet. In fact, Belichick’s own future as the Patriots’ head coach and de facto general manager seemingly still hangs in the balance