Josh McDaniels began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on Nick Saban’s staff at Michigan State in 1999. Saban must have let his former colleague Bill Belichick know that McDaniels was an up-and-coming coach because Belichick hired McDaniels on his first coaching staff in New England the following year.
McDaniels worked his way up with the Patriots beginning as a personnel assistant, then a defensive assistant, then he became the quarterbacks coach in 2004. After being Tom Brady’s quarterback coach for two critical years of his development, McDaniels was promoted to offensive coordinator while keeping his job as quarterbacks coach.