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The Bengals won’t be getting an interview with one of the top head-coaching candidates in this cycle.
According to NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has turned down the chance to interview with Cincinnati:
If you’re wondering when Josh McDaniels’ interview with the #Bengals is happening, it apparently won’t. Source says McDaniels is passing on Cincy’s request.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 3, 2019
This isn’t much of a surprise since McDaniels has a great thing going with the Patriots right now, as they’re annually in the mix for a Super Bowl. With McDaniels, they’ve made it to the AFC Championship every year since 2013. They’ve made the Super Bowl three times and won two of them during that same span. Some believe he’s already the head coach in waiting whenever Bill Belichick retires.
Another factor with McDaniels is how much say he has in personnel decisions, something he won’t have as much control over in Cincinnati as long as Mike Brown and Duke Tobin are here. If McDaniels is going to be a head coach anywhere other than New England, he probably wants a level of control he’s simply not going to get in Cincinnati.
McDaniels is still set to interview with the Packers this week, while the Bengals will interview names like Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor, former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.