If -- and that's an important disclaimer during this coaching search -- the reports are true that Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has selected the Lions' head coaching job over the Giants' opening, that doesn't mean the rocket scientist has lost his mind.

While I made the case why the Giants are an attractive situation, Detroit always made sense for Patricia because of his longstanding relationship with Lions general manager Bob Quinn, who worked in the Patriots' personnel department from 2000-15.

A coach and a general manager are tied at the hip, so it's understandable for Patricia to be more comfortable with a boss he knows well and has the same views on building a team. For all we know, the first time Patricia and Giants general manager Dave Gettleman met was in a hotel conference room in Foxboro, Massachusetts, last week.

Beyond the ties to Quinn, Detroit offered something that every coaching candidate covets: A franchise quarterback in his prime and under contract. Matthew Stafford, 29, gives Patricia an opportunity to win from Day 1.

The Giants' quarterback situation is far more unsettled. They have 37-year-old Eli Manning under contract for two more seasons and a new coach may not want to deal with the inevitable divorce from the two-time Super Bowl MVP. Patricia and other candidates are certainly aware of the outrage that led to Ben McAdoo's firing after he benched Manning this season.

The Giants have the means to move on from Manning with the second pick in the draft. But even if Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold turn out as well as Stafford, there figures to be a learning curve with a young quarterback. Meanwhile Stafford, who was the No. 1 pick in 2009, is a finished product.

The other factors that some seemed to believe would sway Patricia to the Giants over the Lions were overstated.

The Giants' history is nice, but having four Lombardi trophies in the lobby didn't help McAdoo much. The Lions' history - one playoff win in the Super Bowl era - is abysmal. But the Giants' Super Bowl in 2011 was two coaches ago.

Patricia was 12 when Bill Parcells got a ride off the field on his players' shoulders after Super Bowl XXI. The Lions, coming off of consecutive 9-7 seasons, are better positioned to contend in the immediate future than the Giants, who are recovering from a 3-13 debacle.

As for the off-field appeal of the jobs, there was some chatter that the Giants had an advantage because they're located closer to Patricia's hometown. But MetLife Stadium is 250 miles from Sherrill, New York, so it's not as if Patricia would be stopping for dinner at his parents' house on the way home from work.

It's easy to take potshots at Detroit, but let's not kid ourselves: Patricia is about to be a very rich man. He'll be able to buy a big house in a nice neighborhood and send his kids to private schools, all while paying less in taxes.

Patricia was going to spend 18 hours in the office wherever he landed, and he doesn't strike me as the type to be enticed by the proximity to Manhattan hot spots. Add in less traffic and a softer media market and the "pros" column for Detroit had to be filling up for Patricia.

Now, the Giants still should be a desirable destination for other candidates. It will be time to sound the alarms if Pat Shurmur turns down the Giants to go to the Cardinals, who have a worse quarterback situation and no obvious ties in the front office to lure the Vikings offensive coordinator.

But losing Patricia to the Lions doesn't say anything about the Giants' organization that wasn't known at the start of the coaching search.

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.