ORLANDO, Fla. — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Sunday it wasn’t until after Super Bowl LII that the club had detailed discussions with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels about his future with the team, which ultimately gave McDaniels new information to consider after he accepted the Indianapolis Colts’ head-coaching job.

Belichick’s remarks shed light on one of the shocking decisions of the NFL offseason: McDaniels’ spurning the Colts.

“Once that game ended, I think that really gave Josh and I a chance to sit down and talk more directly about the situation, as opposed to, ‘We really want to talk about the game and what we need to do to try to compete in that game.’ That’s basically what happened,” Belichick said Sunday at the NFL’s annual meeting. “Before the game, I’d say we had minimal discussions. I’d say we had much deeper and longer and more in-depth and more constructive discussions immediately after the game.”

McDaniels interviewed with the Colts during the playoff bye week and had a second interview later in the playoffs.

His decision to back out of an agreement with the Colts shocked many around the NFL, with Indianapolis ultimately moving on to hire Frank Reich.

In a meeting with a small group of local reporters, Belichick said of McDaniels’ return, “We got back from Minnesota, I had an opportunity to talk to Josh, and we were able to work some things out. I’m thrilled he’s still with us and is going to continue in his role. I think he’s a top offensive coordinator in the league. He’s done a great job for me for a long time in a lot of different roles. I’m very glad, based on the meeting we had — there were a number of things that happened — that we were able to work that out and keep him with us.”

Belichick said McDaniels continues to carry out the responsibilities he has had in the past and is working “extremely hard.”

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho responded to his team’s round of 16 failure against Sevilla by pointing out that he’s personally defeated United on two separate occasions in the competition.

“I’ve sat in this chair twice before. With Porto – Manchester United out. With Real Madrid – Manchester United out,” Mourinho told reporters after the match, as quoted by Oliver Kay of the Times. “So this is nothing new for this football club.”

The Red Devils were dumped out of the competition Tuesday after conceding two away goals to Wissam Ben Yedder in quick succession, which Romelu Lukaku could not overturn despite his efforts in an eventual 2-1 defeat.

And indeed, Mourinho has twice orchestrated United’s elimination from Europe’s premier competition, having defeated the Red Devils in his inspired 2003-04 campaign with FC Porto, and with Real Madrid in the 2012-13 season.

The manager was otherwise unusually calm after the match, offering “tomorrow is another day.” With the iconic English outfit sitting 16 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League standings, he also pointed to Saturday’s tilt with Brighton as the new focus and defended his players’ performances.

“I think the first goal was always going to be important, not just because of the first leg result but also the profile of the match,” Mourinho told BT Sport after the match, as quoted by BBC Sport.

“We tried to be aggressive and intense from the first minute. We didn’t score and Sevilla progressively kept the ball, and they controlled the game well.

“We had good chances to score, but they scored one goal and from that moment everything became much more emotional. The second goal made it impossible.

“We had good periods, we didn’t have great control over the game, but I can’t say there was anything wrong with my players and their intention to play.

“That’s football, we lost, but tomorrow is another day and Saturday is another match.”

The Dallas Cowboys are expected to sign free-agent offensive tackle Cameron Fleming, a league source told ESPN’s Field Yates.

This means the New England Patriots are poised to lose both of their starting offensive tackles from Super Bowl LII, as starting left tackle Nate Solder signed with the New York Giants.

The Cowboys also restructured the contract of 11-time Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, creating roughly $3.5 million in salary-cap space, sources told ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Witten’s is the second contract the Cowboys have reworked in the past week, along with the deal of Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick that created nearly $7 million in cap room.

The 320-pound Fleming, who entered the NFL as a 2014 fourth-round draft pick of the Patriots, rotated between third and fourth on the depth chart at the start of the regular season. He ultimately became the top replacement for injured right tackle Marcus Cannon by the end of the season.

The mood at Manchester United’s Carrington base must have been euphoric after purloining Alexis Sanchez from under the nose of local foe City. The Premier League leader apparently had a financial package in place for the Arsenal forward’s transfer, but United sneaked in during the final days of the January window to wrest Sanchez from Pep Guardiola’s grasp.

Now, with the marquee swoop 10 matches old after Tuesday’s Champions League elimination to Sevilla, it seems a convenient juncture to assess Sanchez’s impact at Old Trafford. Has his arrival lifted United to a new level of competitiveness, or has it proved detrimental to both Jose Mourinho’s tactical plans and his front-line contingent?

Here’s a game-by-game analysis and conclusion of Sanchez’s efforts, starting with his debut in the FA Cup:

Jan. 26: 4-0 win vs. Yeovil Town (away)

The audiences at daytime TV shows are easily pleased. Each vanilla opinion aired by a panel member is met with a chorus of whoops. It seemed that viewing party was the only one to watch Sanchez’s debut at Huish Park, which was met with rave reviews. Yes, he evaded assaults of his kneecaps with class and was lively, but this was League Two struggler Yeovil. The hype was overblown. It was a kind initiation.

Rating: 8/10

Jan. 31: 2-0 loss vs. Tottenham Hotspur (away)

Tottenham, in the midst of an intimidating yet ultimately fruitful spate of fixtures, outclassed United at Wembley. Sanchez was strangely both busy and anonymous – finishing only second to Ashley Young in touches made by United players – but his difficult outing was mercifully obscured by the substitution of Paul Pogba after just over an hour.

Rating: 5/10

Feb. 3: 2-0 win vs. Huddersfield Town (home)

The best player on the park. Jonas Lossl did well to swat at Sanchez’s penalty with a strong right palm, but the Chilean gobbled up the scraps with a composed chip over the beached goalkeeper. His dribbling was majestic, with one right-footed shot coming after an excellent pilfering of space. The only blemish on his work was a yellow card for a petulant swipe at Florent Hadergjonaj.

Rating: 9/10

Feb. 11: 1-0 loss vs. Newcastle United (away)

Sanchez was arguably the best of a bad bunch in Newcastle, but he still fell victim to a well-drilled outfit. He misplaced over a third of his passes at St James’ Park, and only hit one shot on target despite being invitingly selected opposite DeAndre Yedlin. This was the first match that drew real questions over how Sanchez would fit in at United; Anthony Martial was awkwardly deployed on the right, and it was difficult to envision a prompt return to the lineup for sidelined Marcus Rashford.

Rating: 6/10

Feb. 17: 2-0 win vs. Huddersfield Town (away)

Huddersfield was starting to take control as the break neared, and Sanchez was worryingly fading into the background. But you can’t leave him untended, and his stunning pass to Romelu Lukaku doubled United’s advantage 10 minutes into the second period. It was a merciless counter-attack. The following day, The Sun’s Mike McGrath tried to make a link between Pogba’s apparent struggles and the signing of Sanchez.

Rating: 7/10

Feb. 21: 0-0 draw vs. Sevilla (away)

The main criticism levelled at Sanchez is how he can be careless in possession, but even when he was at his worst for this habit – see his first meeting with Huddersfield – his bobbled touches were masked by his other exploits. When he lost the ball at Sevilla, however, it continually ended rare chances to attack. It was a dull match, and Sanchez was a “liability in possession,” according to the Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst, who gave the player a four-out-of-10 rating.

Rating: 6/10

Feb. 25: 2-1 win vs. Chelsea (home)

Sanchez was shunted to the right to accommodate for Martial’s selection on the left in Chelsea’s visit. He missed a good chance to register on the scoresheet in the opening stanza, but played two probing passes and harried Blues players in the buildup to Lukaku’s equaliser. Although that was the bulk of Sanchez’s productivity on the day, he was less wasteful with the ball.

Rating: 6/10

March 5: 3-2 win vs. Crystal Palace (away)

Sanchez courted criticism once more as United overturned a 2-0 deficit to dramatically win 3-2 at Selhurst Park. The Daily Mail’s Dan Ripley claimed Sanchez lost the ball 19 times in the first half alone, but the MEN’s Luckhurst said it eventually turned into “maybe his best performance since his debut at League Two Yeovil.” Was that a back-handed compliment? If Sanchez wanted to temporarily silence any doubters, the following match against Liverpool offered an opportune moment.

Rating: 6/10

March 10: 2-1 win vs. Liverpool (home)

It was the same old story as Sanchez buzzed around and seemed to enjoy working behind Lukaku, but provided little to suggest Jesse Lingard or the injured Martial wouldn’t have enjoyed greater influence in the win over Liverpool. Mourinho offered excuses for Sanchez in the buildup to the game, claiming his signing was unsettled by joining in the middle of the campaign and saying, “he is learning how to play with us and we are learning how to get the best out of him.”

Rating: 6/10

March 13: 2-1 loss vs. Sevilla (home)

After being widely credited for his tactical approach against Liverpool, Mourinho’s designs unravelled against Sevilla. Rashford played so well on the left against Liverpool, but was shoved to the right so Sanchez could play on his favoured left-hand side. It was a flat showing, and he repeatedly went on head-down charges into dead ends. Once again, Sanchez’s ineffectiveness will be largely obscured by the issues elsewhere, such as Mourinho’s decision to start Marouane Fellaini over Pogba.

Rating: 4/10

How has Sanchez done in his first 10 matches?

The comments (or, indeed, excuses) that Mourinho made for Sanchez’s slow start prior to the win over Liverpool were entirely apt. It must be difficult to adopt the philosophy of a different manager and at a different club halfway through the campaign, especially when things often appeared so lax under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

But for a player of Sanchez’s pedigree and salary – he’s apparently on around £350,000 a week – shouldn’t he be able to influence more than two of his opening 10 matches? Sanchez’s numbers don’t reflect his ability and work ethic, and if there aren’t any discernible improvements from him next season he will only be pardoned by Mourinho for so long.

Maybe there’s an argument that Sanchez simply doesn’t suit Mourinho’s game plan. The Chilean regularly played like an individual at Arsenal, but at Manchester United he is being moulded into another tool tasked with sitting deep and preying on opposition errors. Is this the right environment for Sanchez to thrive?

Rating: 6.3/10

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)