NFL Rumors: Shane Steichen Unlikely to Be Fired by Colts After Missing Playoffs
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The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly unlikely to move on from head coach Shane Steichen this offseason.
On the latest episode of the Scoop City podcast (starts at 17:15 mark), The Athletic’s Dianna Russini noted the “sense” from talking to people around the NFL is that Steichen will remain with the Colts in 2025.
“I’ve had some conversations around the league, in terms of Shane Steichen. I don’t get the sense that they’re going to make a move at this moment. But that could be something that changes,” Russini said.
In the aftermath of Sunday’s 45-33 loss to the New York Giants that officially ended the Colts’ playoff hopes, there were a lot of questions about the current and future direction of the franchise.
Most of the questions were about general manager Chris Ballard and the job he has done over the past eight seasons.
Per The MMQB’s Albert Breer, there have been “murmurs” around the league that the Colts could make a change at general manager.
Ballard’s track record with Indianapolis is a mixed bag. The team has just one playoff win in two appearances and four winning seasons since he was hired in January 2017. They haven’t won an AFC South title, while the other three teams have won the division at least two times during the past eight seasons.
Another big concern for the Colts has been the development of second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson. He has shown flashes of the upside that made him the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but it hasn’t happened enough to believe in him as the long-term solution.
There was also the unusual situation in the middle of this season when Richardson was benched after admitting he took himself out of a game for being tired. Steichen seemed to indicate Joe Flacco would be the starter for the remainder of the season, then he went back to Richardson in Week 11.
It’s not uncommon for a team to fire a general manager and retain the head coach, but it can make for an awkward dynamic because a new GM would typically like the ability to hire someone they prefer rather than inherit someone from the previous regime.
Steichen, who has a 16-17 record, will wrap up his second season as Colts head coach on Sunday. He was hired after spending two years as offensive coordinator from the Philadelphia Eagles from 2021 to 2022, helping the team reach the Super Bowl in his final season.
