Colts hire Eagles OC Shane Steichen as head coach
INDIANAPOLIS — Shane Steichen accepted his dream job on Tuesday.
Now, he’s waiting to see if he gets to rebuild the Indianapolis Colts around the quarterback of his dreams.
Team owner Jim Irsay ended a monthlong search that included interviews with more than a dozen candidates by hiring the 37-year-old, first-time head coach who has a penchant for turning promising young quarterbacks into stars.
“We felt Shane had a lot of that offensive magic that can be hard to find, knowing we’re going to have a young quarterback to develop,” Irsay said. “He had a presence and boy did it come through. Also his mind, thinking multiple things at once, disseminating those things quickly, I think he has a special mind for football.”
Indy certainly needs a new perspective — and some stability — after missing the playoffs each of the past two seasons.
Steichen becomes the Colts’ fourth coach since 2017 and they’re likely to be starting yet another different quarterback on opening day, extending their streak to seven straight seasons.
Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard are now pinning their hopes on a gruff-looking, tough-talking coach who worked previously with Philip Rivers and helped mentor Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.
But for a few minutes during his introductory news conference, Steichen couldn’t hide his emotions. His wife and two young children, along with a handful of current Indy players, watched Steichen choke back tears while offering thanks to everyone from family members to former players and coaching colleagues to team officials who employed him.
“Right now, I’m a little emotional because this is a big day for me and my family,” Steichen said. “We want to get a lot of things done here and we’ve got to grind it every single day.”
Steichen becomes the second straight former Eagles offensive coordinator to make a Super Bowl run and then leave days later for Indianapolis. Frank Reich took the same path in 2018 after Philadelphia won its first championship since 1960.