FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- With Tuesday's stunning news that Josh McDaniels has reversed course and won't be taking the Indianapolis Colts' head-coaching job -- and is instead staying with the New England Patriots -- here are a few key points to pass along from sources close to the situation:
1. McDaniels' decision to stay could spark speculation that head coach Bill Belichick's tenure with the Patriots is about to end, but those close to McDaniels say that isn't the case. Belichick is locked in for 2018. The bigger factor to McDaniels was that the Patriots, who hadn't addressed his future until the past week or so, made an ultra-aggressive late push to try to entice him to stay. Had that happened a month or so ago, McDaniels might not have pursued other head-coaching jobs as aggressively.
2. Family considerations had been weighing heavily on McDaniels' mind recently, according to those close to him. He had grown to appreciate the stability he had provided for his wife, Laura, and their four children. As the move to the Colts became a reality, the idea of moving his family again began to give McDaniels some pause. McDaniels' experience of being in Denver (2009-10) and then St. Louis (2011) -- and the impact that had on his family -- has made him appreciate stability. He has been in New England since 2012.
3. McDaniels' fondness for the Patriots began to grow in recent days as he considered what he was walking away from, specifically with relationships he had built with those inside the organization, according to those close to him. In the end, the strength of those relationships -- coupled with some reservations about the Colts -- were a big factor in his decision to not go through with it.
