Could Josh McDaniels return to Patriots in some capacity after being fired by Raiders?

BOSTON -- Josh McDaniels is out as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. The obvious question now becomes: Will McDaniels return to New England in some capacity?

The Raiders announced late Tuesday night that they were moving on from McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler less than two years after bringing them west from New England. The firing comes just days after the Raiders lost to the Detroit Lions on national TV to fall to 3-5 this season. The team never scored more than 20 points this season.

Vegas was just 9-16 with McDaniels as head coach, and he now owns a career record of 20-33 going back to his brief stint with the Denver Broncos. Chances are he won't be getting a third chance to lead a team of his own anytime soon -- if at all.

But perhaps Bill Belichick will bring him back for a third time in hopes that McDaniels can help fix the New England offense. McDaniels was the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator in 2011 after he was fired by the Broncos, but returned to the Patriots as a general assistant for the playoffs that season. He then took over as offensive coordinator again to replace Bill O'Brien, who left to become head coach at Penn State.

O'Brien is New England's OC, so McDaniels will not be getting that position back. But bringing him back as an offensive assistant would make sense for both sides.

Mac Jones played his best football as a rookie under McDaniels' tutelage, and has struggled mightily after his departure. He took a massive step back under the tandem of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge last season, and hasn't regained his rookie-season form under O'Brien this season. 

There's no guarantee that McDaniels would fix anything with the New England offense; he's not an offensive lineman or a top-line receiver. But maybe he could come in and get Jones right between the ears and help the quarterback's decision-making process. 

It also helps that the Raiders will be paying McDaniels for the next four-and-a-half years until his six-year contract runs out. That's always an appealing aspect for Belichick.

Of course, McDaniels may not want to come back to the Patriots. He may want to try to recoup his image as an OC or offensive assistant elsewhere in an attempt to show the football world he's more than just a good coach when in New England. And with his family in Las Vegas, he may also want to take some time off. (He's still getting a paycheck after all.)

But with McDaniels out as a head coach, it wouldn't be too surprising if he ends up back in Foxboro.