FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels arrived at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday with the intention of cleaning out his office to become the? Indianapolis Colts head coach, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's willingness to take his mentorship to a higher level played a significant part in McDaniels reversing course, sources told ESPN.
Belichick told McDaniels that he would spend more time with him on the inner workings of the Patriots, including roster construction and salary-cap management, which was viewed as "extremely valuable" to McDaniels. It is an arrangement that owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft endorsed because it could ultimately be part of a succession plan for Belichick, although no assurances were made to McDaniels.