Report: Josh McDaniels not assured he will succeed Bill Belichick as Patriots coach

The stunning decision Josh McDaniels made to back out of his agreement with the Colts has led many to believe he is closer than ever to becoming the head coach of the Patriots, but that may not necessarily be the case.

Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal is reporting that McDaniels has received no assurances from the Patriots that he will be the head coach when Bill Belichick either retires or moves on. In fact, it is not even clear if McDaniels wants to succeed Belichick or if he merely decided remaining in New England is better for his family and career at the moment.

A league source says that McDaniels has received no assurances about succeeding Belichick as head coach. In fact, if Belichick’s future was in doubt, McDaniels likely would have planted his flag somewhere else.

Several league sources have told BSJ in the past month that both defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who will be announced as Lions coach on Wednesday, and McDaniels had concerns about succeeding arguably the best coach in NFL history. There is also uncertainty what the Patriots landscape would be like once Robert Kraft steps down from being the primary owner.

A lot of that meshes with what ESPN’s Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter reported, which is that Belichick’s decision to return for at least the 2018 season is one of the reasons McDaniels bailed on the Colts. Former Pats linebacker Willie McGinest, who is still well-connected with the team, also said he does not believe McDaniels would base his decision on whether or not he is the head coach in waiting.

Our guy @WillieMcGinest on air now saying Josh McDaniels' staying in New England isn't predicated on him succeeding Bill Belichick. But after a failed stint in Denver and now this, it's pretty much gotta be Pats or bust, no?

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 7, 2018

The way McDaniels has handled the Indy situation is not going to help him land another head coaching gig going forward. However, he is young by NFL head coaching standards at age 41. If he continues to succeed in his role as offensive coordinator with the Patriots, the opportunities will be there. The bigger story could be if revenge played a role in Kraft’s decision to make a final push to keep McDaniels in Foxboro.