Colts shocker: Coach Chuck Pagano, GM Ryan Grigson will return to Indy

The team announced Monday evening that there will not be an announcement on his status until Tuesday at the earliest.

Not only was Pagano’s contract extended, but Irsay also chose to extend general manager Ryan Grigson’s contract for three additional years.

That’s the big upset from the NFL’s Pink-Slip Monday, when Pagano was expected to walk the plank and ignite another round of speculation that would include whether Nick Saban or maybe Sean Payton would inherit franchise quarterback Andrew Luck as the next Indianapolis Colts coach. Most players wanted Pagano to stick around, including offensive lineman Khaled Holmes, who was one of the first players to tweet his excitement after Pagano’s contract extension was announced. During Bill Polian’s first four years with the team, the Colts went 32-22 (.593) with one division title, two playoff appearances, and an 0-2 playoff record.

“The players are thrilled that coach got an extension”, linebacker D’Qwell Jackson told reporters. To add insult to injury, the Tom Brady team is now one of the contenders to bring once again home the Super Bowl trophy. Pagano was offered a one-year extension at the beginning of the season that would make him the lowest-paid coach in the NFL.

This team remains the NFL’s poster child of almost constant change, unable to stick with a plan long enough to see if it will work.

In the wake of the Titans game, Pagano reviewed the season and how his team battled through adversity.

“We’ve been through the ringer together, but we’re still focused on one goal”, Grigson said.

However, in a statement published on the Colts’ official website, the club made it abundantly clear why they have chose to stick with the current set-up for the foreseeable future.

“There are going to be times when we are both passionate about what we do because we are trying to win a championship”, Grigson said of the dynamic with Pagano.

After all, there’s a wise saying that goes something like, “If you don’t respect the past, how can you appreciate the present”. “I owe it all to Jim for believing in our vision”.

“He’s given his heart and soul every day since I’ve been here”, Luck said. The Cleveland Browns cut ties with Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer after two seasons, and the San Francisco 49ers evidently had a very short leash on Jim Tomsula and let him go following a singular and disappointing 5-11 run. “I’m convinced that we have the right stuff on my right and left here to win a world championship”. “I am super excited that he got another four years”.

What we do know though is that both Pagano and Grigson will be in Indy next year and both men are excited about it.

Chuck Pagano will be back with the Colts in 2016. Pagano spent the final weeks of the season talking like a coach that was on his way our after four seasons.