Is Josh McDaniels the Packers’ best candidate for head coach job?

NFL: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

The Green Bay Packers, for the first time since 2006, are in the market for a new head coach — in the wake of Mike McCarthy’s firing — and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could be the best fit.

Rumors are swirling about the team having interest in Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, but he’s a defensive-minded head coach. And let’s be honest: Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a lot to do with McCarthy being fired, despite team president Mark Murphy saying otherwise on Monday.

As such, the Packers need an offensive-minded head coach — someone who’s worked in this league for a long time and can command the respect of Rodgers (whereas McCarthy could not), that is innovative in their playcalling (a major criticism of McCarthy).

That’s why McDaniels is the guy they need to go after.

Sure, his first stint as head coach in Denver didn’t go well, but a lot of guys fail in their first attempts, but McDaniels has had some time to think about his past failures, and he nearly went back to coaching last offseason — bailing on the Colts at the last minute. He’ll be back at the helm somewhere sooner rather than later, and Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported that the McDaniels to Green Bay rumors are heating up.

A handful of NFL assistant coaches have indicated interest in joining a McDaniels-led coaching staff in Green Bay, according to sources who spoke to Yahoo Sports on Sunday. So much so that at least one has pulled his name from consideration for a college coordinator position. While such a development doesn’t guarantee mutual interest between the Packers and McDaniels, it is an indication the Patriots assistant is maintaining a list of staff candidates if he chooses to depart New England.

This could be the job that McDaniels has been waiting for, and on paper, he appears to be one of the best possible fits — next to Bruce Arians — for the Packers. It will be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming weeks.

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