Bill Belichick isn't ready to divulge what led to Malcolm Butler's benching in the Super Bowl, but he did share how the New England Patriots convinced offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to stay.
The Indianapolis Colts announced on Feb. 6 that they had reached an agreement with McDaniels to be their next head coach. However, that same day, McDaniels spurned them to remain in Foxboro.
McDaniels interviewed for the Colts job during the Patriots' playoff run, one that came to an end in a disappointing Super Bowl loss.
Belichick spoke about McDaniels' last-minute change of heart Sunday at the NFL's annual meeting in Orlando.
"Once that game ended, I think that really gave Josh and I a chance to sit down and talk more directly about the situation," Belichick said, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. "That's basically what happened. Before the game, I'd say we had minimal discussions. I'd say we had much deeper and longer and more in-depth and more constructive discussions immediately after the game."
McDaniels' about-face angered the Colts and led general manager Chris Ballard to declare the rivalry with the Patriots "back on."
As for the Patriots, they were able to keep the coordinator of the league's top-ranked offense in-house.
"We got back from Minnesota, I had an opportunity to talk to Josh, and we were able to work some things out," Belichick said. "I'm thrilled he's still with us and is going to continue in his role. I think he's a top offensive coordinator in the league. He's done a great job for me for a long time in a lot of different roles.
"I'm very glad, based on the meeting we had - there were a number of things that happened - that we were able to work that out and keep him with us."
