Going into year four with the Indianapolis Colts, former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen might be feeling his seat get hot.
The head coach landed his big break after helping the Eagles’ offense dominate their way to the Super Bowl in 2022.
Since taking over as the head coach of the Colts, Steichen’s team has been stuck in the middle of the road.
As he enters year four, a bold prediction ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL season predicts that Steichen will be “toast” by November.
Shane Steichen Must Be Feeling The Pressure
“The Colts are a ‘meh’ team trying to pose as a contender fueled by the false belief that Daniel Jones could be the guy after an aberrational hot streak that ended in a decline and a major injury in 2025,” Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wrote.
“They have a better chance of falling behind the surging Titans than they do of catching up to the Jaguars or Texans in 2026. I doubt it takes long for the front office to realize that and bail on a guy destined for a fourth consecutive non-playoff campaign since taking over in 2023.”
Steichen took over a Colts team that finished 4-12 in 2022. Getting nine wins in 2023 was a nice jumpstart to his head coaching career, but regressing to eight wins in each of the next two seasons showed that Steichen hasn’t been able to improve Indianapolis.
Of course, there’s more to it than coaching. The personnel has to be better, and injuries can’t pile up, or else it’s too difficult to make everything click. Unfortunately, coaches are the face of the operation. If success doesn’t happen, then coaches get cut.
Steichen earned his role with the Colts after thriving under Nick Sirianni and coaching Jalen Hurts, but he might have to take a step back if the bold take rings true. Maybe if the Colts cut him after last season, a Steichen reunion could’ve been in the works in Philadelphia, as the Eagles cut ties with Kevin Patullo.
However, Sirianni and his staff are confident in the first-timer, Sean Mannion.