Will Josh McDaniels leave the Cleveland Browns at the altar?

The Cleveland Browns are reportedly zeroing in on Josh McDaniels as its next head coach. Will McDaniels actually come to Cleveland?

Reports are mixed on whether or not New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels would take the Cleveland Browns head coaching position or not. It has been rumored that McDaniels has wanted to coach Baker Mayfield and this job gives him the opportunity to do just so.

But with the stars finally aligned for McDaniels to come back home and coach the Cleveland Browns, would McDaniels actually say no if offered the position?

Andy Gresh of CBS Sports Radio said he would say no when Gresh joined The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima Tuesday:

More from Dawg Pound Daily

• How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
• Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
• 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
• Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
• 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target

"“Zero,” Gresh said when asked what the chances were of McDaniels coaching the Browns. “A lot of these guys who coach under Belichick, he’s kind of like Yoda to a lot of them,” Gresh said. “Would Bill Belichick put the stamp of approval on the ownership in Cleveland? He didn’t like the ownership of the Jets. The one thing he has told his assistants is, ‘Make sure you have good ownership.’”” – via Matthew Florjancic of WKYC.com"

And that seems to be the biggest hiccup in this entire coaching search. Do these hot name candidates actually want to stake their maybe only or last chance at a head coaching position on this ownership group? With the Haslam’s track record of hiring and firing coaches and front offices, it is an extremely tough sell to candidates who actually have options.

While all the other jobs have been filled, McDaniels will certainly have options for next season if he decides to give it one more go with Tom Brady and the Patriots. McDaniels seems hell-bent on finding the right situation for him. Let’s face it, if he left a reputable organization like the Indianapolis Colts at the altar, then why wouldn’t he do the same with the Cleveland Browns?

Money can talk and the promise of surrounding McDaniels with his guys such as Nick Caserio or Dave Ziegler can sway McDaniels to take the job. But he most certainly can get that set up with another organization next year. And with McDaniels already being the highest paid assistant coach in the NFL, there is no hurry for him to take a job that he’s not 100 percent sold with.

Josh McDaniels is the right coach for the Browns to hire in this coaching cycle. As Browns fans, we know to expect the unexpected. If the Haslam’s can pull this off then kudos to them, just don’t go to the bank thinking this will happen.