There was a lot of overreaction last year when Josh McDaniels decided to back out of a verbal agreement to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Many people believed he would never get an NFL head coaching offer again for the way he handled the situation, but that simply isn’t the case.
In an appearance on WEEI’s “Mut & Callahan Show” Friday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter was asked about the potential of McDaniels interviewing for head coaching jobs again after the season. He noted that NFL teams are increasingly interested in offensive-minded coaches and called it “laughable” that people thought the Colts debacle would ruin McDaniels’ chances of landing another job. However, Schefter says McDaniels will be “picky.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s going to take one, either. We’ve seen how picky, and selective he can be.” Schefter said. “He should be because he is going to be a candidate every year as long as Bill [Belichick] and Tom [Brady] are there and he’s thriving in the system and he’s demonstrating the work that he does. Unless he’s entirely comfortable with that situation, he is not going to jump unlike other coordinators and coaches who when they first get an opening they can’t wait to get a head-coaching job. Josh has proven he is going to be very patient with this and very picky to the point where some people think it is a detriment when it’s not. It’s just not.”
It is believed that McDaniels is being compensated like a first-time head coach after Patriots owner Robert Kraft sweetened his deal last year. With numerous reports indicating the relationship between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady has not been all that strong in recent years, it seems like Kraft wants to keep McDaniels around to almost serve as the middle man between the two.
We have already heard McDaniels linked to one job that should be very appealing, but it remains to be seen how long Belichick plans to coach in New England. That could also factor into McDaniels’ decision.
