CLEVELAND — As recently as Tuesday morning, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels appeared to have a schedule full of interviews ahead.
But after the Carolina Panthers hired Matt Rhule and New York Giants hired Joe Judge, the only interview on McDaniels' slate is with the Cleveland Browns, who currently possess the only head coaching vacancy in the NFL.
But while McDaniels has been the candidate most frequently linked to the Browns' opening following the firing of Freddie Kitchens last Sunday, there's no guarantee the Canton native will be making his return to Northeast Ohio. According to WEEI's Courtney Fallon, there's now a "50/50 chance" that McDaniels will remain the Patriots' offensive coordinator rather than taking the Browns' head coaching job.
According to Fallon, McDaniels "botched" opportunities with the Panthers and Giants, with whom he never officially interviewed with. And while he may be the betting favorite to land the Cleveland job, the Browns have also been heavily linked to Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, who will reportedly interview with the team on Thursday.
Should the Browns hire Stefanski -- or any other candidate -- it would likely leave McDaniels no choice but to return to New England, where he has served as the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the past eight seasons. And it would also have heavy implications on Cleveland's search for a new general manager, which Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said the team won't hire until after picking its new head coach.