Josh McDaniels closes the book on going elsewhere - What does that mean for Patriots' offense in 2019 and beyond?

On a conference call with the media Tuesday morning, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels sounded like a man who is sticking around Foxborough, at least for another year.

Asked if the “book is closed” on him going elsewhere, he replied flatly: “The book is closed. … I’m completely focused on the Chargers and our season and finishing strong. I’ll be here moving forward.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity I had, but obviously more importantly grateful for the opportunity I have here.  I’ve said before I think I have one of the best jobs in the world. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue competing this week against the Chargers.”

One other interesting note — despite reports he might have drawn the interest of the Browns, McDaniels said he never had contact with them regarding their head coaching vacancy.

“No sir — I have had no contact with them,” he said when asked about Cleveland.

BSJ analysis: So what does this mean for the Patriots?

Basically, from an on-field perspective, it’ll be status quo for the New England offense moving forward, as McDaniels now figures to be the offensive coordinator for 2019 and (possibly) beyond. Consistency and continuity will continue in Foxborough, which means we can forget all our thoughts about who might succeed McDaniels at the head of the Patriots’ offense, at least for now. (Sorry, Kliff Kingsbury.)

One of my other thoughts is the fact you can’t necessarily look at this decision in a vacuum. Sure, he interviewed with the Packers. (I thought it was interesting he was so up front when it came to the news he had no contact with the Browns.) And he has to make absolutely sure the next head coaching job he takes will be a perfect fit — he’s not going to get a third bite at the apple.

But I have to wonder if the fact Tom Brady was vocal about his desire to return in 2019 will ultimately have something of a ripple effect among McDaniels and (perhaps) some of the other key players on the offensive side of the ball. Regardless of whether you think it might be the best long-term decision for the franchise, the OC and quarterback are now a package deal, at least when it comes to the immediate future. We’ll see if that ripple effect reaches Rob Gronkowski, who was noncommittal about 2019 and beyond a few weeks ago. Is this going to be a case of McDaniels and Brady doing what they can to get the band back together, at least for one more year? We shall see.