FOXBORO, Mass. – Josh McDaniels is returning to the New England Patriots for a third time, a league source told The Athletic.

In arguably the most important decision he’ll make on his coaching staff, Mike Vrabel has tapped McDaniels to come back to New England and run an offense led by quarterback Drake Maye. It marks the third stint for McDaniels as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, a role in which he served under Bill Belichick from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2012 to 2021.

A depleted Patriots roster at least has the promise of Maye to lean on, and Vrabel’s decision largely hinged on who he’d trust to develop the talented 22-year-old quarterback. That’s where McDaniels’ resume stood out.

The 48-year-old two-time NFL head coach helped Mac Jones deliver an impressive rookie season before landing the Las Vegas Raiders’ head job in 2022. Meanwhile, Jones’ production dipped following McDaniels’ departure. Before that, McDaniels helped Matt Cassel to an impressive season as the Patriots’ starter in 2008. And then, of course, there were all those years with Tom Brady.

McDaniels was a Patriots assistant when Vrabel played in New England, but the two have never worked together and aren’t believed to have much of a pre-existing relationship. Still, Brady is among their many mutual friends as they now begin a partnership aimed at returning the franchise to contention.

McDaniels’ offensive system differs from the one Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans teams ran with more focus on gap-scheme rushes instead of wide-zone runs. But regardless of the exact playbook, nothing is more important for Vrabel — and now McDaniels — than developing Maye.

The No. 3 pick in last year’s draft had a promising rookie season even if the numbers (15 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in basically 11 games) don’t stand out. But Maye played behind the league’s worst offensive line and threw to the league’s worst group of wide receivers. The positive signs for Maye far outweighed the negative ones.

Now, he’s about to have his fourth offensive coordinator in four years dating back to his college days at North Carolina. He could use some continuity and a consistent voice, and Vrabel believes he’s found that in McDaniels. Vrabel has said his relationship with the quarterback will mostly focus on leadership style and game management, deferring to the offensive coordinator for X’s and O’s.

“We mentioned things like (being) aggressive but not reckless,” Vrabel said last week of what he’s looking for in his offense. “We have to be able to take chances. How do we create X plays without having to just throw the ball down the field 50 yards and just sit there taking shots, right? The creativity. We want to be, I would say, versatile enough if the players can handle it. You look at zone scheme in the run game, being able to run gap scheme, to be under center, be in the gun. But it’s also important to understand that everybody has access to this and everybody has experience with different types of offense, but it’s (about) what the players can get good at.”

So the offensive scheme could be fluid depending on what the Patriots roster looks like after free agency and the draft.

But more important than how often they’re in 11 personnel or under center will be how the coaching staff develops Maye. Vrabel’s tenure in New England depends on that.

So as he gets started, he’s chosen an experienced offensive coordinator with a track record of helping young quarterbacks. It’s a sensible approach.

(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)