The Indianapolis Colts–and namely owner Jim Irsay continue to discuss the future with head coach Chuck Pagano in order to fully evaluate whether the latter is still the right man for the job:
I'm told the #Colts & Chuck Pagano continue to discuss the future. Both sides evaluating the possibility of working together moving forward.
— Rand Getlin (@RandGetlin) January 4, 2016
Irsay and Pagano met right before 3 PM EST at Colts headquarters and talks have been ongoing; however, the organization announced that no decision would be made Monday on Pagano’s future with the team. However, the longer Irsay’s evaluation drags out, the more optimistic that Pagano’s camp is about the possibility of him returning next season:
The longer this goes for Chuck Pagano & the #Colts, the better those involved feel about Pagano staying. Not over yet, but some optimism.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 4, 2016
If a decision had already been made, the Colts presumably would’ve already made it.
While Irsay’s deliberation could be construed as indecisiveness from atop the organization, it could also simply show that he’s performing his due diligence regarding Pagano and leaving no stone unturned.
According to PFT’s Mike Florio, he speculates whether Irsay could also be probing Pagano for details about his tumultuous relationship with general manager Ryan Grigson–whose future with the team has also yet to be determined.
In 4 seasons with the Colts, Pagano had 3 consecutive 11 win seasons before enduring his worst season at 8-8 and missing the playoffs for the first time.
Overall, Pagano is 20-4 (.833) against the woeful AFC South in 4 seasons (.826), yet 21-19 (0.525) against everyone else. Overall, he’s 41-23 (.641), which is good, but could admittedly be better, having had the luxury of playing in arguably the league’s worst division during his Colts coaching tenure.
Nevertheless, his players still love playing for him, and he’s won a lot of football games–having still finished .500 this season despite losing Andrew Luck for 9 games due to injury.
A decision will likely be imminent–likely as soon as Tuesday.
Not only could the Colts miss out on other coaching candidates by holding onto Pagano only to dismiss him, but it’s also preventing the latter from seeking out other head coaching opportunities elsewhere–which means both sides ultimately lose by prolonging this process.
That being said, if Irsay is sincere in his willingness to fully evaluate Pagano and give him a chance to fight his case to remain head coach, then an extra 24 hours of deliberation really won’t hurt either side going forward.
