On Tuesday, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced his decision to make Daniel Jones the starting quarterback over Anthony Richardson. The news was justifiably met with a ton of criticism from fans and media members, but nevertheless, Steichen said Jones is the Colts’ starting quarterback for the 2025 season.
It’s fair to say Steichen is hitching his wagon to Jones, because the head coach and Colts general manager Chris Ballard are entering the season with warm seats. If things don’t go well this season, they both could be out of a job.
For NFL fans who watched Jones in New York, that seems like a likely outcome, unless the veteran quarterback has undergone a significant transformation, or gets carried by his teammates this season.
In the event that Daniel Jones is the same quarterback he’s always been throughout his career, Steichen will likely be fired. However, he has proven to be a talented offensive coordinator in this league, so if the head coaching thing doesn’t work out, it shouldn’t take him long to find work as an offensive coordinator. Here are three teams that could be monitoring what happens in Indianapolis this season.
Bengals could be an option for Shane Steichen if things don’t work out with Colts
The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have many problems offensively. With Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, the Bengals will likely have one of the league’s best offenses again in 2025. The problem, though, is that Cincinnati may also have one of the league’s worst defenses. That could result in another underwhelming season where Cincinnati misses the postseason.
If that happens, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor could be out the door. While Steichen won’t be hired as a head coach to replace him, he could be the offensive coordinator for the next staff.
Another team under pressure in 2025 is the New York Giants, and Steichen could end up there two different ways. If New York is bad, head coach Brian Daboll could be fired, and Steichen could be a part of the new staff. If the Giants are good, though, Daboll would remain, but offensive coordinator Mike Kafka could move on to a head coaching role.
That would open up the offensive coordinator role for Shane Steichen to join forces with Brian Daboll.
One of the hottest seats in the NFL is Miami Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel’s seat, and it’s not because of the Florida heat. The Dolphins have underwhelmed under Mcdaniel, and have admittedly had a culture problem. That’s why this season is viewed as a make-or-break year. If Miami breaks, it’ll have a new coaching staff next season and Steichen could be a part of that staff.