“Why is the system so flawed? Some of it has to do with what former NY Giants General Manager George Young called the “guard your desk mentality.” Young believed that most NFL executives never want to hire the most qualified person, they want someone who’s easy to get along with and who has minimal coaching experience, which won’t allow them to threaten the General Manager’s authority.”
The quote is from an article in the Athletic written by Mike Lombardi entitled “Stop trying to find the next Sean McVay: Why the NFL hiring system is so flawed”. I’ve always believed that was is described above is exactly what Tom Donahoe did with both his hires. The article talks a lot about Colts and Frank Reich hire, good read.