In a shocking turn of events, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has backed out of a deal to become the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. He will remain with New England.
ESPN's Mike Reiss provided more details on what led to the decision:
Source close to situation says clarity on Bill Belichick's status in New England (Belichick is locked in to coach Patriots in 2018) and stability for family among top factors for Josh McDaniels' sudden change.
In the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl LII, it was widely reported that McDaniels agreed in principle to become the next head coach in Indianapolis, while fellow coordinator Matt Patricia was taking over the head job with the Detroit Lions. Patricia has indeed taken over in Detroit, whereas McDaniels has retreated back under Bill Belichick's wing, likely to be his successor in the near future.
On Super Bowl Sunday, a rumor came out stating that Belichick retiring and McDaniels taking over as head coach was not out of the question following a New England victory, which, of course, never came. Yet, conversations have persisted in the two days since between McDaniels and Patriots officials, according to Schefter. And, as Reiss noted, clarity on where Belichick stands moving forward was crucial to him staying.
Schefter also reports that Patriots owner Robert Kraft “sweetened” McDaniels' contract to entice him to stay, in addition to saying that McDaniels never really felt comfortable with the idea of leaving New England for Indianapolis.
As a number of writers and fans have noted on Twitter, the Colts still have up various social media posts and articles on their official website indicating that McDaniels will be their next head coach. They will likely be taken down in short order:
Colts’ online team folks thought they’d put in a good day’s work, went home, opened a beer…… pic.twitter.com/z16Oy8X6oQ
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) February 7, 2018
Follow Us
Subscribe