New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels intended to take the Indianapolis Colts' head coaching job before a meeting with Bill Belichick on Tuesday morning changed his mind, sources told ESPN's Mike Reiss.
Belichick reportedly offered a higher level of mentorship, including showing McDaniels more about the organization's inner workings, which played a big part in keeping McDaniels in New England.
While no assurances were made that McDaniels would be Belichick's successor, team owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft apparently signed off on the meeting believing it could eventually help them replace their longtime head coach.
Related: McDaniels spurning Colts locks him in as Belichick's successor
McDaniels reportedly also received a "long-term contractual commitment," which was important to him because it would let his four children stay in the same school system for a longer period of time.
Backing out of his agreement with the Colts reportedly caused McDaniels' agent to cut ties with the coach.
