NFL Rumors: Josh McDaniels Denying Colts Was Robert Kraft’s Deflategate Revenge

Indianapolis you have a problem, and his name reportedly is Robert Kraft.

The rivalry between the Colts and New England Patriots was born out of dueling legendary quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but the competitive clash took a turn when the Colts opened the door to the Deflategate saga following the thumping they took in the 2014 AFC Championship Game.

That apparently didn’t stick well with the Patriots owner, who reportedly has made it his mission to run the Colts franchise into the ground, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. And Kraft’s latest vengeful strike reportedly came Tuesday when he talked offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels out of taking the head coaching job in Indy in favor of returning to New England.

McDaniels was set to be announced as the Colts coach Wednesday, but he elected to return as the Patriots offensive coordinator, leaving Indianapolis in a major lurch.

The Deflategate escapade cost the Patriots two draft picks, $1 million and had Brady suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season so we certainly see where Kraft’s ire is coming from.

While Kraft’s choice to reportedly sweeten McDaniels contract probably had a lot to do with keeping some portion of the coaching staff intact, it wouldn’t completely surprise us if he did want to do everything he could — both on and off the field — to hammer the Colts.