Patriots OC Josh McDaniels: 'Irrelevant' now about open positions

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels says he's focused on this season. (US Presswire)

In the weeks leading into “Black Monday,” Josh McDaniels seemed to own one of the go-to names when speculation began on potential replacements for the lame-duck coaches who were playing out the string.

The Patriots offensive coordinator has been most heavily linked to the Cleveland Browns, but his name has also been whispered in conjunction with the Kansas City Chiefs. Both positions opened up Monday when the Browns let go of coach Pat Shurmur and the Chiefs parted ways with Romeo Crennel.

McDaniels, who coached the Denver Broncos during the 2009 season and parts of 2010, spoke about the rumors Monday and said that he hasn’t had time to ponder his future.

“I’m thrilled to be back here and came back here for all the right reasons -- to learn and to get better as a coach, to work in an organization that I really have a great deal of respect and appreciation for,” he said. “I’m happy here. My family is happy here. We’re excited about what’s ahead of us here in the playoffs, and to talk about any other opportunities at this point is, to me, irrelevant, because I’m totally focused on this season and what this season holds.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be here and be a New England Patriot and try to do the best job that I can with the title I have right now.”