The Indianapolis Colts coaching search is one of the longest in NFL history, but interim coach Jeff Saturday reportedly remains the front-runner to keep the job.
Saturday, whose only prior coaching experience occurred at the high school level, replaced Frank Reich on Nov. 7. A member of the Colts Ring of Honor and an advisor to the organization while he worked as an NFL analyst for ESPN, Saturday was hand-picked by owner Jim Irsay.
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Irsay hired Saturday as interim coach against strong objections from team executives, who wanted to hire a more qualified coach to take over for the remainder of the season. While general manager Chris Ballard has led the Colts’ coaching search, many around the NFL believe the process is all being led to end with Saturday keeping the job.
Ballard interviewed more than a dozen NFL coaching candidates, with Irsay’s daughter Carlie-Irsay Gordon heavily involved in the process. After the Colts’ owner sat out the first round of interviews, outside of the meeting with Saturday, he has now met with finalists for the job.
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The Colts are now conducting an unprecedented third round of coaching interviews, coming at a time when three NFL teams have already hired head coaches. While the process is still ongoing, the final decision will be made by the Colts’ owner and it’s believed he already has a decision in mind heading into the final interviews.
According to Ben Solak of The Ringer, NFL personnel expect the Colts to name Saturday as their head coach with Irsay pushing the move.
“While it appears from the outside that the Colts are undergoing an extensive search, my sense from speaking to league personnel and people close to the Colts’ search is that team owner Jim Irsay wants to hire interim head coach Jeff Saturday as the permanent head coach, and that is the expected outcome.”
Ben Solak on the Indianapolis Colts’ coaching search, Jeff Saturday
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The situation is likely being monitored closely by NFL officials. Amid an active lawsuit from Brian Flores and other NFL coaches alleging discriminatory hiring practices by teams, Indianapolis is poised to hire one of the most underqualified coaches in modern NFL history.
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A year after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams blasting the ‘unacceptable’ hiring results, the league now stares down the likelihood of Saturday remaining the Colts’ coach.
Indianapolis ended the season with seven consecutive losses and it had the worst point differential in the NFL during Saturday’s eight-game tenure.
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There remains strong opposition within the Colts’ front office to Saturday keeping the job. The length of the search has left many NFL personnel with the belief that Ballard is trying to find a quality candidate who will appeal to Irsay.
However, the Colts’ owner believes Saturday can be a great head coach-long term and his long-standing relationship with the former center is shaping his decision.
