After Josh McDaniels left the Patriots to become the head coach of the Raiders in 2022, the offense lost its step and couldn't find the right guy to replace the legendary play-caller. He was coming off a season where he helped lead rookie Mac Jones back to the playoffs, resulting in another head coaching opportunity.
The Patriots floundered without him over the next three years, experimenting with Matt Patricia, Bill O'Brien, and Alex Van Pelt as the OC. Eventually, Mike Vrabel was hired and chose to bring McDaniels back to the place where he had accomplished the most success.