While the Indianapolis Colts have had their fair share of questions this offseason centered upon what's to come with this team's quarterback situation for the year ahead, another big storyline revolving around this group for the season ahead focuses on their head coaching future with Shane Steichen
Steichen, who's been at the helm for the Colts across the past two seasons, now enters a critical third year with the team that could be a make-or-break campaign. Indianapolis has gone 17-17 since hiring Steichen as their lead voice on the sidelines, have had their troubles on both sides of the ball, and with one more season of turbulence, that could be the final straw for his time with this franchse.
Which, for Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, might be setting the stage for Steichen to be sitting in one of the hottest coaching seats around the NFL next season.
Florio recently outlined four of the NFL's biggest hot seat candidates entering the 2025 season, where Steichen was right in the mix with a bit of job security uncertainty following two-straight playoff absences, and maybe more importantly, a change in ownership.
"Through two seasons, Steichen is 17-17 with no playoff appearances," Florio wrote. "His non-interim predecessor, Frank Reich, went 40-33-1 with a pair of playoff berths and was abruptly fired. The swing and miss (so far) on quarterback Anthony Richardson is on Steichen’s record. The failure to develop Richardson is on Steichen’s resume."
"As the 2024 season ended, there was a haze of confusion as to whether big changes would be made in Indianapolis. Now that an ownership change has happened following the passing of Jim Irsay, it remains to be seen how Carlie Irsay-Gordon will run the team. And, most importantly, whether she’ll want to hire a coach of her own after her first season in charge. How the team performs in 2025 becomes a massive factor in resolving what currently is a major unknown. Which puts pressure on Steichen to win enough games to make the answer an obvious 'yes."
After an 8-9 season was in the books from their 2024 campaign and their missed playoff appearance, Steichen even faced a bit of uncertainty as to whether he'd be back for a third season, along with general manager Shane Steichen. Inevitably, both sides were able to get another shot for one more season, but it puts a ton of pressure for this group to finally put the pieces together and perform.
Steichen has the tools on his roster to make those strides happen. First-round pick Tyler Warren gives his bright offensive mind another strong weapon to utilize on the offensive end, and an improved defense and a new coordinator in Lou Anarumo will add a bit more optimism on the other side of the ball.
In the end, it might just come down to how well their quarterback situation can improve compared to last season's mess at the position. But if another season of mediocrity is on the way for Steichen and the Colts, it could very well be his last.
