Josh McDaniels will be staying in New England on an unusual contract, with Albert Breer of SI.com hearing the Patriots‘ OC is expected to sign a four- or five-year extension. Coordinators’ deals typically do not run this long, but with the Patriots convincing their longtime play-caller to make this kind of a decision, it makes sense they’d want to keep McDaniels around long-term. Breer notes McDaniels’ current contract is believed to expire after the 2018 season, so the sides figure to hammer out an agreement soon.
Here’s the latest on the McDaniels saga:
- Nick Caserio‘s presence was a key factor in McDaniels’ decision to spurn the Colts, Breer reports. The Patriots executive’s choice to stay in Foxborough last year likely kept McDaniels from moving to the Bay Area. The tandem would likely be running the 49ers had Caserio become their GM. The two played college football together in Ohio in the 1990s and will continue to be Bill Belichick‘s right-hand men.
- As for Belichick, Breer notes he’s not operating like a coach who is planning an exit strategy. “He’s certainly not acting like he’s leaving anytime soon,” a source informed Breer. The 65-year-old coach will be entering his 19th season with the Patriots in 2018. While McDaniels may be the heir apparent, Belichick staying on for multiple years would likely drain the remainder of Tom Brady‘s historically long prime and make it more difficult for the prospective McDaniels teams to build on the Belichick squads’ legacies.
- It appears McDaniels did call the three non-Patriots assistants who were set to be on his first Colts staff. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets McDaniels phoned Matt Eberflus, Mike Phair and Dave DeGuglielmo to alert them of this seminal about-face. The three have signed deals with the Colts, leaving Chuck Pagano‘s actual successor with an interesting predicament. Chris Ballard said he wanted Eberflus to run his defense regardless of McDaniels’ arrival, however.
- As for why McDaniels initially became enamored with the Colts, their second-year GM served as the chief reason he was once all set to move to Indianapolis, Breer notes. McDaniels holds Ballard in high regard, and although Andrew Luck was a prime selling point, the Colts’ top decision-maker was the primary reason behind the would-be McDaniels New England exodus.
- Despite the Patriots’ offensive success under McDaniels, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com writes NFL teams were slow to offer him a second chance after how badly his Broncos tenure went. Robinson noted some around the league questioned whether the 42-year-old assistant had really matured much since his failed Denver stint. The Giants appear to have felt he didn’t. McDaniels became a hot commodity in recent years but now has effectively set a potential bridge to an HC job outside of Massachusetts ablaze. Although, Cesario landing a GM job could lead to an attempt to sell his owner on McDaniels sometime down the line.
- Not only do the Colts not have any legal recourse they can take after being burned here, Mike Wells and Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com write they don’t look to have grounds for a grievance with the league. McDaniels never signed Colts contract or stopped being the Patriots’ OC.
Patriots must have assured him the HC job would be his when Belichick leaves. If not he’s a major idiot. Something tells me he’s not gonna have as easy a time landing a HC job after that terrible stint in Denver AND this stunt he pulled now. It’d be hilarious if he’s the one that’s gets burned several years from now and Patriots give the job to someone else.
In 2yrs no one will remember or care. Don’t fool yourself into thinking these teams have an shame or an ounce of common sense.
Even during the offseason the Colts can’t stop taking L’s.
If you ask me they dodged a bullet. McDaniels looks like he isn’t much of a leader. Kind of a coward move.
Sounds like sour grapes from a supreme Colts fan. That wasn’t the attitude before he smartened up
The NFL is ultimately to blame–there should be no interviews or signings until the S Bowl is over. Tough luck for those teams that don’t make it; use the time to strategize and be better prepared.
There are several good H Coaching candidates; Colts stop crying over spilled milk and deflategate– you got what you deserved.
Badmouth McDaniels, if you will. You got a good pick-up with Jacoby Brissett–I’d love to have him back–let’s reverse that trade—-
Hope Josh McDaniels to get the job with colts
He didn’t take it
To put it in R rated movie cleaned up for TV parlance when you read the lips to see what they really said, Forget the Colts! Whining squealing losers.
Will Belichick stay after Brady goes? Could McDaniel become a scapegoat if there are some rough rebuilding years post-Brady? I tend to agree with McDaniels former agent that he did not make the best decision for himself
Maybe this is just payback to the Colts for their role in Deflate Gate. Karma baby.