Insider: If the Colts want to hire Josh McDaniels, they'll have to wait

INDIANAPOLIS – There are no clear indicators of where the Indianapolis Colts’ coaching search currently stands.

It is, perhaps, nearing its end, with most of the known candidates already having sat for interviews. Or, it could be far from over, given the promise of General Manager Chris Ballard to be thorough. Owner Jim Irsay even broached the possibility of follow-up interviews.

But here’s something worth pondering: What if the Colts settle on New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels?

It’s not clear whether McDaniels is the favorite. Ballard promised the Colts would run a tight ship and keep information internal, and that is proving to be unquestionably true. But McDaniels is seen as an in-demand candidate. And with his Patriots holding home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, they’re a popular choice to return to the Super Bowl.

If they do, it could throw a wrench into the Colts’ plans and dramatically extend the length of this coaching search.

NFL teams cannot enter into a contract with a new head coach until he fulfills his duties with his current team. In this case, if the Patriots advance to the Super Bowl, that would mean the earliest the Colts could officially hire McDaniels would be Feb. 5 – one day after Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.

The Colts have vowed to be patient and methodical in this process, so this would not seem to be a deal breaker.

“We’re going to take our time,” Ballard said last week. “We’re going to make sure. I think one of the great things that a lot of teams do in this league is they take their time. We want to make sure it’s the right fit.”

Still, pursuing a coach who is participating in the Super Bowl raises some issues.

There’s always the reality that either side could back out of a handshake deal unless and until a contract is executed. But a more realistic and common concern is the impact the prolonged wait would have on a coach’s ability to do the things new coaches need to do – primarily, building a coaching staff.

With six head-coach openings in this cycle – the Raiders, Bears, Cardinals, Giants and Lions are also changing coaches – there’s fierce competition for top assistant coaches as the annual musical-chairs-like process continues. Several other teams who aren’t changing head coaches have fired coordinators and are in the market for replacements. A coach who can’t make his staff official until early February is at a distinct disadvantage in such an environment.

We’ve seen this become an issue in recent seasons, with the Atlanta Falcons last year reportedly blocking departing offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan from hiring any of Atlanta’s key assistants when he was hired after the Super Bowl by the San Francisco 49ers. No team wants to lose reliable assistant coaches that late in the hiring season.

However, it’s possible this would be a less-pronounced issue with a coach like McDaniels. For one, he’s been through this before, having been hired to coach the Denver Broncos in 2009. That experience will be invaluable when it comes to knowing what to do in advance of taking over.

And McDaniels, like any newly-hired head coach, would not wait until he was officially hired to begin the process of assembling a staff. In most cases, theoretical conversations happen well in advance – maybe months in advance for a coach like McDaniels, who has long had aspirations of making another run at being a head coach. Take, for example, Falcons coach Dan Quinn, who was hired by Atlanta in 2015 after coaching the Seattle Seahawks’ defense in the Super Bowl. Quinn reportedly had identified his entire coaching staff before Seattle played in the Super Bowl.

McDaniels could make good use of the extra week before teams travel to the Super Bowl site. That would also provide a window during which the Colts could request a follow-up interview if they so desire, per NFL rules. McDaniels likely has a very clear idea of who his key assistants would be if he’s hired somewhere. And to get the job in Indianapolis, he’d better.

“They’ve got to be able to hire a first-class staff,” was one of Ballard’s key criteria when he outlined what he’s looking for in a new coach.

Follow Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.

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