Former Cleveland Browns GM and current Radio.com Sports NFL Insider Michael Lombardi joined Ken Carman and Anthony Lima to give his thoughts on the head coaching vacancy and where the organization goes in 2020.
Lombardi, who was the Browns GM from 2013-14, gave a ton of info on New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, including why he thought McDaniels was going to be the coach in 2014, what McDaniels has learned in his second stint with Bill Belichick and whom McDaniels could bring in to help run things.
"We all interviewed Josh [in 2014]. I thought we hired Josh. I thought when we got on the airplane, left to Cleveland … I thought he was going to be coach," he said. "The next day I talked to some people in the Haslam family and thought he was going to be the head coach. Things changed, he pulled himself out and it never was quite the same.”
McDaniels was the Patriots' offensive coordinator from 2005-08 and has held the same position with the franchise since 2012. He had a failed stint as head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2009-10, but he has remained an attractive head coaching candidate since rejoining the Patriots.
In 2018, McDaniels agreed to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts before unexpectedly removing himself from the job and returning the to Patriots. Many believe it is because McDaniels is in position to be the heir to Bill Belichick, but Lombardi — who worked for the Patriots from 2014-16 — has a hard time believing that.
"I just don’t believe that. I don’t think that’s to be the case," he said. "First of all, none of us know, including Bill’s best friends like Josh, myself. We don’t know how long he’s going to go … I don’t think there’s any plans past Bill, and really, who wants to follow Bill?"
Lombardi also gave his thoughts on former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, if Baker Mayfield can turn it around in 2020 and how Odell Beckham Jr. will impact a new coaching staff.
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