Colts hire Steichen as new coach
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts hired Shane Steichen as their head coach.
The move announced Tuesday ends a search that took more than a month, involved more than a dozen candidates and finally gives the Colts some direction in what still appears to be a tumultuous offseason.
Each of Indy’s last two full-time hires were offensive coordinators for Philadelphia Eagles teams that made the Super Bowl. Frank Reich was hired in 2018 after the Eagles won their first championship since 1960 but was fired in October as the Colts’ season started to unravel.
He was replaced by interim coach Jeff Saturday, who won his first game but lost the final seven to give Indy the No. 4 overall draft pick. Saturday was one of the finalists for the full-time gig.
Now, though, the Colts seem to be changing directions again, this time likely with a young, promising quarterback. That’s a major reason team owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard, who led the lengthy search, sought out the 37-year-old Steichen.
Under Steichen’s tenure in Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts went from second-round draft pick in 2020 to solid starter in 2021 to NFL MVP runner-up in 2022.
Cardinals: Arizona hired Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to be its next head coach. Gannon replaces Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired last month after going 4-13 in his fourth season.
Panthers: Carolina hired Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant. The 68-year-old Caldwell brings a wealth of NFL experience, having coached the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts.
Raiders:
Quarterback Derek Carr was released by Las Vegas on Tuesday as the club evaluates its future at the position. The move was expected after Carr was benched with two games remaining this season because the Raiders would have owed him $40.4 million in guaranteed money over the next two years if he remained on the roster beyond Tuesday. By releasing Carr, the Raiders’ salary dead cap hit will be $5.6 million next season.
Ravens: Baltimore hired Georgia’s Todd Monken to be its offensive coordinator. Monken arrives after three seasons in the same role at Georgia, which last month won its second consecutive national championship. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said the team conducted 21 interviews with 14 candidates.
Titans:
Tennessee announced the hiring of Chad Brinker as assistant general manager. Brinker, who spent the past 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, joins general manager Ran Carthon, hired last month, in the Titans’ front office.