Longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has withdrawn from the Indianapolis Colts head coaching job just hours after his introductory press conference had been announced by the team.
McDaniels apparently had cold feet and decided instead to stay in New England as their offensive coordinator. The Patriots reportedly made a late push to retain McDaniels and made him an offer he could not refuse.
McDaniels values the stability he has in New England with his family, and after the Super Bowl Patriots owner Robert Kraft reportedly got involved in talks with McDaniels to try to retain him. Apparently, after two days of talk Kraft decided to sweeten the offer to McDaniels to keep him in New England and McDaniels accepted it although he had already agreed to take the Colts job.
Although no contract had been signed between the parties, the Colts were ready for their press conference, the team was ready for McDaniels to arrive at the facility and had even prepared an office for him. They had a camera crew ready to follow him from the airport to the office and to the press conference.
The Colts had already signed the contracts of several assistant coaches that had already agreed and expected to be members of McDaniels’ staff when, without previous notice or indication, he caught the Colts by surprise and backed out of the deal.
According to ESPN, McDaniels met with the Patriots brass on Tuesday morning and he was convinced to stay not only because they sweetened the deal monetarily, but because Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told McDaniels that he would take his mentorship to a higher level.
Backed by owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft, Belichick reportedly offered to spend more time with McDaniels on the inner workings of the Patriots, including roster construction and salary-cap management and this was viewed by the offensive as “extremely valuable.”
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that a source told him that when McDaniels called his agent Bob Lamonte to tell him the news he replied to McDaniels that he “was committing professional suicide” and then proceeded to terminate their business relationship.
Regardless of what prompted McDaniels to change his mind is now clear that probably no other team on the league will ever approach him again with a head coaching offer as he’s proven that he can’t be trusted.
That would explain why there are speculations that the Patriots may have agreed to offer McDaniels the chance to replace Belichick once he decides to walk away from his job.
Although they can’t do that in writing, because it would go against the NFL’s Rooney Rule, there could be a verbal agreement that would promise him that and may have closed the deal to retain him.
As for the Colts, they are now in a mess because now they must start their head coach search all over and are now left with several assistant coaches that can’t be fired and that may or may not fit the philosophy on the new head coach they choose.
