BEREA, Ohio — On Friday, the Cleveland Browns will hold their final -- and perhaps most highly anticipated -- interview for their head coaching vacancy. Just before 10:00 a.m., Josh McDaniels and his wife, Laura, arrived in Berea, where the current New England Patriots offensive coordinator will interview with his hometown team.
As noted by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Laura's presence alongside her husband could signal that a big decision for both McDaniels and the Browns is coming -- perhaps by the end of the day.
A native of Canton, the 43-year-old McDaniels has been heavily linked to a return to Northeast Ohio since the Browns fired Freddie Kitchens following their 6-10 season in 2019. While he had also been linked to the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants' head coaching jobs, both of those vacancies were filled before McDaniels even interviewed.
Following eight seasons as an assistant with the Patriots, four of which he spent as the team's offensive coordinator, McDaniels was hired as the Denver Broncos head coach in 2009. He was fired by the Broncos, however, after amassing an 11-17 record over the course of two seasons.
In 2012, McDaniels returned to New England as the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In the past eight seasons with the Patriots, he has been a part of eight Super Bowl titles.
In addition to McDaniels, the Browns have also interviewed former Green Bay Packers head coach (and new Dallas Cowboys head coach) Mike McCarthy, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski for their head coaching job.