Josh McDaniels returns to Denver this weekend as the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator, facing the franchise that first hired him as a head coach 17 years ago. His Broncos tenure remains one of the most talked‑about coaching stints of the late 2000s, both for its early turbulence and the way it ended.
With Denver now hosting New England in the AFC Championship Game and Jarrett Stidham starting at quarterback, McDaniels’ history in Colorado and his familiarity with the Broncos’ current passer have again come into focus. League coverage has revisited why his time in Denver was cut short and whether his presence on the Patriots’ sideline could influence Sunday’s matchup.
Josh McDaniels Struggled With Results in Denver
McDaniels was hired by the Broncos in 2009 after a successful run as New England’s offensive coordinator. Expectations were high when he arrived in Denver, but the on‑field results and off‑field issues did not meet those expectations. In less than two full seasons, the Broncos’ record under McDaniels slipped, and his tenure was marked by controversial personnel moves and mounting losses.
The Broncos moved to dismiss him late in the 2010 season, a decision widely attributed to both performance and a videotaping scandal that brought negative attention to the franchise.
The videotaping issue was particularly damaging. Coverage at the time noted that the Broncos were disciplined by the league after a staffer recorded a San Francisco 49ers walkthrough in London; McDaniels was fined for failing to report the incident to the league.
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That episode, combined with a 3‑9 start in 2010 and an overall record below .500, placed significant pressure on ownership and football leadership. Ultimately, Denver chose to move on before McDaniels completed his second season, making his tenure one of the shortest for a modern head coach in that market.
Since then, McDaniels has rebuilt his reputation as a play caller rather than as a head coach. He returned to New England as offensive coordinator and later served in the same role again after his time as the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. The Denver chapter remains a reference point whenever his name is attached to major Broncos games, particularly now that he is back in the postseason as an offensive coordinator.
Do the Patriots Have an Advantage Over the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game?
McDaniels’s presence in New England’s booth adds a specific wrinkle to this AFC Championship Game because of his history with Jarrett Stidham. The Sporting News noted that under most circumstances, a team turning to a backup quarterback on short notice could create an advantage, especially with a designer like Sean Payton adding new wrinkles that opponents have not seen.
However, McDaniels worked closely with Stidham in New England and later in Las Vegas, giving him detailed knowledge of the quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses.
That familiarity could help the Patriots’ defensive staff prepare. Per reports, McDaniels is expected to share insights with Mike Vrabel and acting defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr on how Denver might build its plan around Stidham and which concepts the quarterback favors.
In that sense, New England gains informational value from having McDaniels on its staff, while Denver loses some of the usual unpredictability that comes with a backup stepping in. At the same time, Payton is regarded as one of the league’s best offensive coaches, so the matchup becomes a layered chess game between staff who know one another and a quarterback whose tendencies are well documented inside both buildings.
