Colts lose another candidate as Dan Quinn decides to return to Cowboys

After advancing to the second round of interviews for the Indianapolis Colts, Dan Quinn has decided to return to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Indianapolis Colts just narrowed down their candidate list as they started inviting coaches in for a second interview. One of the names that made it to the second round for Indy was Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Quinn reportedly had an amazing first interview and was a name to watch for not only the Colts but other teams with head coach openings. However, Quinn announced on Thursday that he would be returning to the Dallas Cowboys.

A coveted candidate, Quinn was actually predicted by Bleacher Report to be named the head coach of the Colts. Now, he’ll instead return to Dallas for what Quinn refers to as “unfinished business,” saying that his “complete focus is helping the team play championship ball in 2023.” This of course comes after the Cowboys were eliminated in the Divisional Round by the San Francisco 49ers.

In his second season as the defensive coordinator for Dallas, Quinn’s defense only allowed 20.1 points a game and the Cowboys led the league in takeaways with 33. Additionally, Dallas had the third-most sacks as a team with 54. They should have another quality season under Quinn in 2023, and he’ll likely be back in the mix of the next hiring cycle if he chooses to. Quinn has been coaching in the NFL since 2001, and he was even a head coach before, leading the Atlanta Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016. All reasons why he was such a strong candidate.

The Colts obviously saw him as a strong candidate and that’s why the team wanted to interview him for a second time. Where does Indy go now?

With Dan Quinn out, what coaches remain in the mix for the Colts?

Indianapolis still has a lot of names in the running to be the team’s next head coach. It was reported that the Colts had about seven candidates that they wanted additional interviews with. I’m addition to Quinn, the reported names were Jeff Saturday, Raheem Morris, Ejiro Evero, and DeMeco Ryans. Additionally, many of the coordinators that will be coaching on championship Sunday had first interviews with Indy and are likely the other names that will be brought in for second interviews once it’s allowed.

It’s unclear what direction the franchise is leaning, or when they will make a decision, but a couple of things are clear. Dan Quinn won’t be Indy’s next coach and fans don’t want it to be Jeff Saturday either. Hopefully, the Colts will make a decision soon so that they can start addressing the list of other issues Indy needs to fix.

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Another offseason is here, and again, there are already rumors of Aaron Rodgers leaving Green Bay and coming to the Indianapolis Colts.