Colts Hiring Shane Steichen as Head Coach

Former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen has his work cut out for him, as he takes the helm of a Colts squad that finished 4-12-1 last season. (Getty Images)

With Super Bowl LVII in the books, owner Jim Irsay and GM Chris Ballard pounced.

After a coaching search that lasted five weeks, entered a rare fourth round of interviews and saw many candidates considered for the position, Indianapolis reached a deal Monday with Eagles offensive coordinator and Super Bowl champion Shane Steichen to take the reins. The franchise will be looking for a fresh start after an abysmal 4-12-1 season, as they are also expected to select a quarterback in the first few picks of the NFL Draft. 

Steichen, a former QB for UNLV from 2003-2006, served as offensive coordinator of the Chargers in 2020 before being hired to the same role for the Eagles, where he coached for the last two years. His offense was third in the league in both scoring average and yards per game. 

The 37-year-old is known for his ability to “reverse engineer”, meaning that he wants all of his quarterbacks to focus on the throws that they feel most comfortable making, just as he did in his playing days. He has the unique ability to use what his team is best at to maximize their potential. This skill undoubtedly came into play in the head coach searching process, and with the acquisition of a young high-profile QB seemingly inevitable, Steichen could help to develop the player and build an offense around him. 

The Colts seem to like what they see out of Eagles offensive coordinators. Frank Reich, who was fired after a week 9 loss, served in the position before being hired in 2018. Steichen plans to fill the hole vacated by Reich and Jeff Saturday, the former Colts All-Pro center, ESPN analyst, and surprising interim head coach hire. Saturday was a finalist for the job, on a list of candidates that included Steichen, Raheem Morris of the Rams, and Aaron Glenn from the Lions. The remaining candidates were informed Friday and Sunday that Shane Steichen would be their eventual choice. 

Steichen was widely seen as the frontrunner entering Super Bowl weekend, but he and the Colts could not agree to a deal until after the big game. He represents the 11th different head coach since the team moved to Indianapolis in 1984. 

The Eagles will likely replace Steichen with quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, who has been highly sought after for vacant offensive coordinator positions around the league.