At a late night news conference, Colts Owner Jim Irsay announced that Chuck Pagano had agreed to a 4-year contract extention to remain the Colts Head Coach.
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You want to believe Jim Irsay simply chose continuity over change, chose to extend relationships with those he knew rather than to begin them with those he did not, and that in the end he decided Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson are the right leadership team to get the Colts where the owner wants to go.
Not only was Pagano’s contract extended, but Irsay also chose to extend general manager Ryan Grigson’s contract for three additional years.
By 9:45 p.m. that deliberation crystallized into the stunning announcement that Chuck Pagano would stay on as Indianapolis coach. It was one of the most embarrassing moments for an National Football League coach and it helped jumpstart the Fire Pagano campaign. “Guys, I’ve never been more proud because there are a bunch of teams who, a long, long time ago in the season, would have mailed it in”.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. “I don’t see a need for change”.
“I can say he’s given his heart and soul every day since I’ve been here”, Luck said earlier Monday. It was supposed to possibly cost General Manager Ryan Grigson his job as well.
“If you think I’m going to let someone bully my head coach you’re wrong”.
Ryan Grigson (left) and Chuck Pagano (right) will be sticking around in Indy.
“Words can’t describe how I feel right now”.
“We’ve been through the ringer together, but we’re still focused on one goal”.
With the Colts keeping Pagano and the Titans apparently not inclined to look elsewhere, there’s really only one current vacancy for a team with a great quarterback.
Pagano’s original contract expired at the end of this season and he reportedly had several meetings with the team to discuss his future. Had they reached the postseason, Irsay said, Luck might have returned from a kidney injury for a wild-card round game and certainly for a divisional-round game.
“There are going to be times when we are both passionate about what we do because we are trying to win a championship”, Grigson said of the dynamic with Pagano. Both are still fairly new at their jobs and can get better each year. But it still seemed, as the Colts went along with their subpar season, that Pagano might not get the chance to continue as Colts coach.
“I just … it’s a great, great day”. He’s made some very good moves, to be sure, such as bringing in quarterback Andrew Luck, wide receiver T.Y.
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After hours of candidness, Pagano and Grigson walked out of the press conference room with a handshake and hug, something they hope to be doing one day under Super Bowl confetti.
