New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had agreed to take over as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts earlier this week. It was a done deal. The Colts had intended to officially introduce McDaniels at a press conference today, but instead they'll be addressing the team's continued search for a head coach.
After a meeting with the Patriots, McDaniels reportedly cancelled his flight to Indy and informed the Colts he would not be accepting the job. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, McDaniels' agent, Bob LaMonte, told his client that he's making the biggest mistake of his career by backing out of the Colts job at the last second.
The Colts released the following statement after yesterday's stunning news,
"After agreeing to contract terms to become the Indianapolis Colts' new head coach, New England Patriots assistant coach Josh McDaniels this evening informed us that he would not be joining our team," the team said in a statement. "Although we are surprised and disappointed, we will resume our head-coaching search immediately and find the right fit to lead our team and organization on and off the field."
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Patriots owner Robert Kraft restructured McDaniels' contract to keep him in New England, but money wasn't the only reason he decided to spurn the Colts.
Per ESPN:
"The truth is, McDaniels, 41, has been vacillating on this decision throughout the interview process, ever since meeting with the Colts on wild-card weekend. It is the reason a second meeting with Colts officials and team owner Jim Irsay was held. McDaniels was trying to get comfortable with the idea of taking his family out of New England and moving to Indianapolis, sources said."
The Patriots have already lost defensive coordinator Matt Patricia who will be taking over as head coach for the Detroit Lions.