The Indianapolis Colts fell well short of expectations for the second consecutive year in 2016, but that is apparently not going to cost head coach Chuck Pagano his job.
According to a report from Alex Marves of Sporting News, Pagano has been informed by Colts owner Jim Irsay that the team is bringing him back for the 2017 season.
Source tells @sn_nfl that @Colts HC Chuck Pagano has received assurance from team owner Jim Irsay that he WILL return as HC for 2017 season
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) January 6, 2017
All signs point toward general manager Ryan Grigson returning as well, which is a bit of a surprise.
After the Colts finished 8-8 last season, there was speculation that Pagano was going to lose his job. However, it would have been difficult to justify firing the coach after his best player, quarterback Andrew Luck, was injured for most of the year. The team ended up signing Pagano to an extension instead, and Grigson had to clarify a few things about his supposedly icy relationship with Pagano.
The Colts finished 8-8 again in 2016, and Irsay was reportedly unhappy with the way they played down the stretch. Despite that, Pagano is apparently going to get another shot. If Indy can’t fix its offensive line problems and find a way to stop opponents from scoring so much next season, Pagano’s luck — no pun intended — will likely run out.
