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.
“Right now I’m a little emotional because this is a big day for me and my family,” Steichen said, explaining why he was choking up during his introductory news conference. “We want to get a lot of things done here, we’ve got to grind every single day.”
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 job.
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.
CARDINALS: Arizona hired Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on Tuesday to be its next head coach.
Gannon replaces Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired last month after going 4-13 in his fourth season. Gannon becomes Arizona’s fourth coach in seven years and the second Eagles coordinator to become a head coach after Shane Steichen was hired by Indianapolis on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old Gannon has been Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons, helping rebuild a defense that helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl last Sunday. The Eagles lost to Kansas City 38-35 at State Farm Stadium, home of the Cardinals.
The Eagles had the NFL’s No. 2 defense this season and the third-most sacks in NFL history with 78 under Gannon in 2022. Philadelphia led the NFL with 70 sacks this season — 15 more than any other team.
Gannon’s resume took a bit of a hit during the Super Bowl. The Eagles coughed up a 10-point halftime lead and couldn’t stop Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, even though the MVP wasn’t moving at his best because of a sprained ankle.
RAIDERS: The Raiders released longtime quarterback Derek Carr before a 1 p.m. Tuesday deadline that would have triggered a $40.4 million roster guarantee. It also means he is immediately free to begin negotiating a contract with other teams.
From the Raiders’ perspective, cutting Carr means getting out from under the three-year, $121 million contract extension they agreed to last year. The Raiders will be docked a $5,625,000 dead cap hit but will save $29.25 million in 2023. They are now projected to have approximately $50 million in cap space when free agency opens next month.
The Raiders had hoped to trade Carr before the deadline to get an asset in return — and they had the framework of a deal in place last week with the Saints – but he wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause after meeting with the Saints.
RAVENS: Baltimore hired Georgia’s Todd Monken to be its offensive coordinator, the team announced Tuesday.
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.
PANTHERS: The Carolina Panthers added even more experience to Coach Frank Reich’s staff on Tuesday, hiring 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. His hire comes just days after the Panthers added 72-year-old Dom Capers, a former head coach with Carolina and the Houston Texans, to their staff as a defensive assistant.
TITANS: The Tennessee Titans announced Tuesday 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.
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