Get more out of your Globe subscription: Sign up to text with Patriots writer Ben Volin during the NFL playoffs. Click here to learn more.
FOXBOROUGH — Josh McDaniels and Joe Judge have had the same goal this season — bolstering the New England offense. Now they could be competing for the same job — boosting the New York Giants.
According to a league source, the Giants have been granted permission to speak with McDaniels, the Patriots offensive coordinator, and Judge, the club’s special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach, about their head coaching vacancy.
Additionally, the Browns and Panthers also received New England’s OK to speak with McDaniels about their openings, according to a league source.
Advertisement
As recently as Monday, McDaniels said he was unaware that any teams were interested in interviewing him. Now it appears he will have a full dance card next week. Candidates coaching in wild-card games are not permitted to interview this week and McDaniels said his focus is solely on the Titans game Saturday night.
“When that stuff is presented to me or discussed with me or whatever, then we’ll deal with it appropriately,’’ he said Monday. “Honestly, it’s pretty easy for me in terms of formula. I’m the offensive coordinator of the Patriots. We have a lot of work to do, we can improve in a lot of areas to try to get ready for this week — our biggest game of the year against, certainly, the best team we’ve played since a postseason game. Our players deserve that, our coaches deserve that, and that’s what they’re going to get from me.’’
McDaniels began his Patriots tenure in 2001 as a personnel assistant and rose through the ranks in several roles on defense and offense, culminating in being name offensive coordinator in 2006.
Advertisement
McDaniels was named Broncos head coach in 2009 and was 11-17 before being let go before the end of the 2010 season. He returned to New England in 2012.
McDaniels accepted the Colts head coaching job in February 2018 before having a last-minute change of heart and remaining in Foxborough. He has long maintained that he would welcome another crack at becoming a head coach.
Judge joined the Patriots in 2012 as a special teams assistant after a three-year run at Alabama, where he was a football analyst/special teams assistant.
Judge was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2015 when Scott O’Brien retired. This season Judge, who is working toward his PhD in education, added wide receivers coach to his duties following Chad O’Shea’s jump to Miami.
Coach Bill Belichick has often lauded Judge’s work and said he would feel comfortable having him work in a variety roles on offense, defense, and special teams.
“He’s an excellent coach,’’ Belichick said this week.
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.