The New England Patriots beelining toward hiring Mike Vrabel might’ve been the worst-kept secret in the NFL as the coaching carousel started to heat up. Given the former Titans head coach’s ties to the organization and, frankly, the fact that he might’ve been unjustly and unwisely let loose in Tennessee, the fit was always natural. And so we finally arrived on Monday with Vrabel’s hiring being made official with an introductory press conference.

On Tuesday, he then started making the media rounds in New England, naturally showing up on WEEI early in the morning. But in that process, he also put at least somewhat of a stop to a popular rumor that was already circulating before Vrabel’s hiring was ever first reported for the Patriots.

Reports were out there that Vrabel could bring along an old friend and familiar face to Patriots fans, Josh McDaniels, to join his staff. That might not be the case, though.

Speaking with WEEI, Vrabel said that he and the Patriots brass would be undergoing an extensive search to fill out his staff in New England. And while McDaniels was mentioned specifically as a candidate to be the offensive coordinator, the new head coach also noted that the former Pats OC was part of a “long list” of candidates for that position.

Mike Vrabel pours cold water on Josh McDaniels returning to Patriots as OC

This, of course, doesn’t mean that Vrabel won’t ink McDaniels to be the offensive coordinator on his staff, only that it might be much farther from a guarantee than we previously expected. That’s a stark change, however, and one that should potentially excite fans in New England.

Yes, I’m well aware of the success that McDaniels has had with the Patriots as an OC specifically and, on top of that, I’m not going to let that be completely clouded by his failures as a head coach. At the same time, however, one of the biggest concerns with Vrabel coming in should always be that the Patriots aren’t getting out of their old ways at least to some degree and trying to turn the page.

I have full faith that Vrabel can do that. While he might not always portray himself in this way, he’s actually a sharp analytical mind that could be a construed largely as a forward-thinker in modern football. There is hope he can change that, but that hope would be severely diminished by the notion of bringing back McDaniels, getting the band proverbially back together, and just going through the same motions.

The situation in New England should still be viewed optimistically. Vrabel is a damn-good head coach and they have a franchise quarterback in the making with Drake Maye along with the No. 4 pick in the draft — not to mention a boatload of free agency money. And the fact that Vrabel is keeping all of his options open to build out his staff is definitely another sign that things are trending positively in New England this offseason.