Josh McDaniels apparently made the most of his year away from football.

Away from football in the sense he wasn’t concocting an offensive game-plan every week, nor standing on the sideline on NFL Sundays. McDaniels would never completely steer clear of the gridiron, of course.

Prior to the Patriots officially hiring McDaniels as their offensive coordinator on Wednesday, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer offered behind-the-scenes intel into McDaniels’ year off in 2024.

“I do think Josh McDaniels would be the right pick to be Vrabel’s OC in New England,” Breer wrote in a column published Monday, “and not just because of what he’s accomplished, but how he used his year off — spending time with NFL and college programs to evolve his offense.

“In particular, I think McDaniels’s study of the college game will make what has been a pretty complex offense more user-friendly with the adaptations he’s got coming,” Breer wrote.

More of a “user-friendly” offense? That should greatly help the youthful Patriots.

One criticism of McDaniels as an offensive coordinator was his scheme and game-plans were too complex. Sure, future Hall of Famer Tom Brady was able to grasp it and excel as were other veterans in Foxboro, Mass. McDaniels helped win six Super Bowls during his first 19 seasons (!) with the organization, after all.

But younger players? Not so much. It was thought to be a major reason why the Patriots failed to develop offensive skill-players like wide receivers during Bill Belichick’s tenure.

Davante Adams, who played for McDaniels in Las Vegas, called McDaniels’ offense the most complex he’s ever been a part of. And that was when the three-time All-Pro was entering his age-30 season.

With a second-year quarterback in Drake Maye and a collection of second- and third-year players, the Patriots sorely need someone who will aid their development. Difficult-to-decipher schemes aren’t going to help those like 2024 second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk and fourth-rounder Javon Baker, who rarely saw the field because he wasn’t able to get a grasp on Alex Van Pelt’s playbook. The same goes for third-year wideout DeMario Douglas, who will play for a third coordinator in three years, second-year tight end Jaheim Bell and a cast of young offensive linemen.

Maye, whose showcased a high IQ and ability to grasp things quickly, can only do so much if those players around him can’t understand or execute McDaniels’ vision.

The good news is his vision apparently will be a little less complex than the dynasty days.