Josh McDaniels explains snubbing Colts to stay with Patriots
There is not much love lost for Josh McDaniels in Indianapolis.
In backing out of the Colts head coach job to stay on as the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator, McDaniels caused one of the shocks of the offseason.
But the 41-year-old insists his decision was not about the Colts organisation, stressing it was about what he thought was best for his family and his future.
"Indianapolis did a tremendous job," McDaniels said, via The Boston Globe.
"They have a tremendous organisation and I was lucky to be considered and I just think once I found out [what my future in New England was], I made the right decision for me and my family at this time."
McDaniels said a conversation with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick while he was cleaning out his office convinced him to stay in Foxborough.
And though no promises were made regarding his future with the team, a pay rise and a good heart-to-heart made him rethink the move.
"I wasn't 100 per cent sure what the future was. I just hadn't had any clarity on that," added McDaniels, who was speaking publicly for the first time since his decision.
"So, where did I fit in? Were there any plans? I just didn't have much clarity on what my role was here moving forward.
"Once I heard from Robert and Bill on that Tuesday, it just gave me reason to pause and consider this whole situation."
McDaniels apologized "to anyone who was affected in any way" and said, "it was never my intention to go into this and put anybody in an awkward position".
But the opportunity to work for Kraft and Belichick while coaching Tom Brady was not something he was ready to walk away from.
"Look, I'm privileged to have the opportunity to do that and when they kind of crystallised that - 'Hey, here's what we see going forward and here's how we would like you to fit into it' - it gave me a reason to stop and say, 'All right, what's the best decision for me?’ And certainly, it was difficult. But I made the decision on my own, nobody pushed me into it."
McDaniels may likely get another chance to be an NFL head coach. However, any GM outside of New England may balk at his word.