Colts: Chuck Pagano’s Job is Safe for Now; May Be Not in Long-Term
By Kyle Nishida
Saturday, Indianapolis Colts‘ owner Jim Irsay decided to fire general manager Ryan Grigson; sparking speculation that Chuck Pagano‘s job was in jeopardy too. Hours later, Irsay made it clear Pagano is the Colts’ head coach for now.
It is weird and extremely rare for a head coach to remain employed while the general manager gets fired. The Detroit Lions did the same thing this past year by keeping Jim Caldwell after firing general manager Martin Mayhew. The Colts now face a similar scenario.
During the evening press conference where he announced Grigson’s firing, Irsay iterated his support for Pagano.
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“Chuck is our head coach for 2017. The new GM will evaluate our whole football program and we’ll see where we’re at.”
That last part of the quote is interesting: “We’ll see where we’re at.” Depending on how one interprets the quote, this phrase could be an indicator of Pagano’s job still not being secure.
Even though Pagano is keeping his job for now, it may not be safe in the long run. There is the possibility that all of the Colts’ potential GM candidates do not want Pagano as head coach. If that is the case, Irsay may be forced into removing Pagano if he really wants a certain person as GM.
Also, one should not rule out Irsay firing Pagano one year from now. If the Colts miss the playoffs again or exit the playoffs on a sour note, the new general manager may want to remove Pagano.
Pagano’s continued tenure with the Colts now depends on the new general manager liking him. Luckily for him, he is a likable guy. However, he has produced mixed results.
He has taken the Colts to the playoffs three times in five years and has found ways to motivate players when all hope seems lost. On the flip side, his teams often get dominated by the NFL’s top teams, and he has not won the NFL’s worst division in the past two seasons.
Irsay may be hopeful Pagano will remain the Colts’ head coach for “many years to come.” However, Pagano’s job security depends on results.
Pagano needs to make the playoffs in 2017. That is the absolute bare minimum he can do if he wants even shot a keeping his job. He may need a playoff win too to put himself in the good graces of the new general manager.
Honestly, Irsay wants Pagano to succeed with this franchise and is giving him every opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, those feelings many not help him in his upcoming general manager search.
It will be very interesting if the Colts’ best general manager candidate does not want Pagano. Whats does Irsay do then? In his mind, he trying to avoid that dilemma altogether.
The Colts will begin an “extensive” search for their next general manager immediately. However, until they find a new one, VP of Football Operations Jimmy Raye will control all the daily football decisions.
Specifically, Raye and Pagano will join Irsay at the Senior Bowl on January 30 to evaluate some of the best talent in upcoming 2017 NFL Draft. At some points before or after that, Raye will interview for the position.
The Colts resolved one half of their dysfunctional front office by firing Ryan Grigson. However, they still have some questions they need to answer because Pagano is still head coach. Specifically, how safe is Pagano’s job.
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That and other questions will likely be answered once the new general manager is in place. Pagano can breathe out a sigh of relief, but he should still be on edge because his job is not safe yet.