New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel's decision to back out of the head coaching deal he had with the Indianapolis Colts has taken the league by storm. As a result, there has been plenty of speculation as to why he agreed to remain an offensive coordinator rather than become head coach of the Colts.

However, it seems the reasons may not be as cryptic as some may have assumed. According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, sources close to the organization listed a number of factors that played into McDaniels' decision. Among the notable was the prospect of someday taking over the Patriots franchise as head coach Bill Belichick's successor:

McDaniels’ decision to stay could spark speculation that perhaps Bill Belichick’s tenure is about to end, but those close to McDaniels say that isn’t the case. Belichick is locked in for 2018. The bigger factor to McDaniels was that the Patriots, who hadn’t addressed his future until the past week or so, made an ultra-aggressive late push to try to entice him to stay. Had that happened a month or so ago, McDaniels might not have pursued other head-coaching jobs as aggressively as he did.

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Aside from the obvious football reasons, there were other factors that often go unnoticed in professional sports. McDaniels has settled in nicely in New England with his wife and four children since coming over in 2012. Furthermore, he has also established plenty of relationships with those who work within the Patriots organization. As a result, the reality of having to settle into a completely new home after bouncing around the league for several years was too much to bear.

That said, it seems Kraft and Belichick were able to do a good job of reminding McDaniels all that he would've left behind in addition to the possible promise of taking over the head coaching vacancy when Belichick does decide to retire.