Josh McDaniels backs out of Colts job, but Matt Patricia to Lions is ‘done deal’

Josh McDaniels shocked the NFL to its core on Tuesday night, backing out of an agreement with the Indianapolis Colts to become their next head coach. He will remain the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator after owner Robert Kraft apparently sweetened the deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The news has devastated Colts nation, as the team was progressing with the assumption that McDaniels was locked up. There were several embarrassing (now deleted) tweets from the official Colts account that hyped up McDaniels. Like this one:

But aside from public embarrassment, this is also a logistical nightmare for the team. Apparently some new assistant coaches, who were hired under the impression they’d be working for McDaniels, have already signed contracts with the Colts.

Understandably, this news has made some Detroit Lions fans anxious about the certainty of their own hire of a Patriots coach, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

But there’s no reason to worry here. We already have a statement from the man himself accepting the job. Also, If you notice from the deleted tweet above, the Colts referred to the situation as “agreed to terms.” The Lions are past that stage. They have referred to the situation as an official “hiring.” Matt Patricia is hired. We don’t have proof of a contract being signed, but it’s pretty clear that things have progressed a lot further with Detroit at this point.

Finally, if you’re still worried about Patricia leaving, let’s defer to the most reliable Detroit Lions beat reporter out there. Is the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett worried?

The Lions will introduce Matt Patricia as their next head coach on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.