Barring an upset of the Steelers by the Dolphins on Sunday, the Patriots will be facing the winner of Saturday’s game between the Raiders and the Texans. New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels probably won’t catch it live.
As explained by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, McDaniels will interview with three teams on Saturday for their vacant head-coaching positions.
The Rams, Jaguars, and 49ers will interview McDaniels in separate suites at a hotel near Gillette Stadium. Those three teams (and only those three teams) would then be able to interview McDaniels a second time in the week after the AFC title game, if the Patriots qualify for Super Bowl LI.
Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia also will be interviewing for a pair of jobs, with the Rams and Chargers. Likewise, director of player personnel Nick Caserio will interview for the vacant G.M. position in San Francisco.
If all three go, it would be the most upheaval at one time that Bill Belichick has experienced during his time with the team. After winning Super Bowl XXXIX against the Eagles, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel left for Notre Dame and Cleveland, respectively.
In early 2009, McDaniels left to coach the Broncos, and V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli became the G.M. of the Chiefs.
Some believe McDaniels is content to stay in New England and (eventually) replace Belichick. While there’s no guarantee he’s leaving, he’s definitely doing his due diligence.