With Colts hiring Shane Steichen, what’s next for Jeff Saturday?

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

Minutes before Shane Steichen’s introductory press conference as Colts head coach on Tuesday, Jeff Saturday posted a message on Twitter. It was a video, taken from what appeared to be a river or lake. Somewhere beautiful. Somewhere isolated.

A Colts legend and the team’s interim coach in 2022 who interviewed for the full-time job, Saturday thanked the Colts for the opportunity. He congratulated Steichen. He shouted out the Indianapolis fans — even the thousands who signed a petition in support of him not getting the job. It was a classy gesture.

“I’m so grateful for the last eight weeks of the (2022) season and the opportunity to represent you guys,” Saturday said. “It was an absolute blessing. I look fondly upon it. I wish we would’ve done better, but ultimately, that is where it is.”

So, what comes next for Saturday?

That’s unclear, and worth monitoring over the next several months.

One option? Return to broadcasting. Saturday had jumped to the Colts sidelines from ESPN, where he had been an NFL analyst since July 2013. He made regular appearances on shows such as “Get Up,” “First Take,” “NFL Live” and “SportsCenter.”

Saturday could also continue coaching. Despite all the chaos in his 1-7 stint as the Colts interim coach — the clock mismanagement in the Steelers game, on the losing end of the largest comeback in NFL history in the Vikings game, allowing a 33-0 run in the second half of the Cowboys game — Saturday didn’t lose his enthusiasm. He never regretted taking on interim coaching responsibilities. At the end of the regular season, he clearly stated his intention to interview for the full-time job.

“This has been fantastic,” Saturday said in December. “It’s crazy for me because I went from being in the media to not paying any attention purposely. I’m sure not everything written about us or me is positive. I’m good with that. I knew kind of what I was signing up for. I’ve loved this. I’ve had a great time. I love the unity in the locker room. I love the staff and working with guys and the strategy that goes in with this.”

Now that the Colts job went to someone else, though, does he still want to coach? Is he willing to take a more traditional path to become a head coach? It’s very unlikely, if not entirely out of the question, that another NFL team or high-level college program will hire him as a head coach in the future without more experience in the wake of his Colts tenure.

A former All-Pro center, Saturday could be a natural fit as an offensive-line coach. The Colts tried to hire him for that role in 2019 and again ahead of the 2022 season, but the “timing” didn’t work out either time, general manager Chris Ballard said in November.

Maybe the timing is right now. One of Steichen’s first orders of business as Colts coach is assembling a staff. Saturday might draw consideration.

If Steichen wanted to poach the Eagles‘ offensive-line coaches, that could prove to be difficult. Eagles run game coordinator/offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, one of football’s most respected offensive line gurus, has been in Philadelphia for a decade, spanning three head coaches (Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson and Nick Sirianni). Eagles assistant offensive line coach Roy Istvan has been in Philly since 2019, with two different head coaches (Pederson, Sirianni).

Jay Glazer on Shane Steichen joining the Colts

Jay Glazer spoke about the Colts’ plan to hire Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their head coach.

Despite all that went wrong in Saturday’s interim stint, Indianapolis’ offensive-line play did improve according to some metrics.

Indianapolis allowed 35 sacks in Weeks 1-9 with Frank Reich as coach, worst in the NFL in that span, according to Next Gen Stats. It gave up 25 sacks from Week 10 through the end of the regular season with Saturday, tied for 26th in the league in that span. Rookie third-round pick Bernhard Raimann also settled in as the left tackle following a disastrous start to 2022 and has a legitimate shot to be the team’s long-term option at the spot.

Before taking the interim role, Saturday had been a paid consultant for the Colts for several years, too, informing Ballard, owner Jim Irsay and others in the organization of his opinions. So re-assuming that type of role, or a more formal front-office position, might also be a possibility.

“Man, I haven’t even thought anything about that,” Saturday said last month, at the end of the regular season, about taking on a position or front office role if he didn’t get the Colts head coach job.

Whatever Saturday decides to do now, we know who he’ll be cheering for.

“I’m still a huge Colts fan,” Saturday said in the waterside video. “I’m pulling for you guys. I’m looking forward to hoisting some Lombardi trophies and excited for your opportunity.

“To all of Colts nation, I appreciate you guys. I love you guys. See you soon.”

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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