Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano Reportedly Have ‘Toxic’ Relationship

According to ESPN’s Mike Wells, Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano reportedly have a ‘toxic’ relationship:

"“As bad as things have been on the field this season for the Colts (7-8), things are ‘100 times worse’ inside the organization when it comes to the relationship between Pagano and Grigson,” writes Wells. “One NFL source described the relationship as ‘toxic.’ It has reached the point where Grigson and Pagano have little communication with each other, according to multiple sources.”"

Of course, this only confirms earlier reports that there’s clear disconnect between the Colts coaching staff and front office. We’ve heard rumors before that the front office has been overriding some of the coaching staff’s starting lineup decisions on gamedays by dictating who should play.

Nov 8, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson walks the sidelines during warm ups before the game against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

For Pagano, the tension could be a big reason as to why his remaining time as Colts head coach could be increasingly short-lived, as Sunday may very well be his last game coaching the team.

While in Grigson’s case, his job security seems to be a bit safer going forward compared to Pagano. A big reason being that Grigson still has a year remaining on his current contract with the team and has built a positive working relationship with owner Jim Irsay and his family.

That’s not to say that the Colts won’t move on from both Pagano and Grigson at season’s end. However, Grigson could possibly remain with the team even with a new head coach–perhaps even in a lesser decison-making role or his current role.

Whatever the case may be, the Colts dysfunction has clearly not been limited to purely just the players and the field this season.

It starts up top with the Colts organization and has trickled down throughout the season, as there’s been rumors of a rift between the front office and the coaching staff since the team’s regular season opener.