Colts fire Chuck Pagano after 6 seasons
The Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Chuck Pagano on Sunday after six seasons in charge, the team announced.
Pagano won 11 games in each of his first three seasons in Indy and won three playoff games. However, the Colts haven't made the postseason since 2014, and with franchise quarterback Andrew Luck out for the entire 2017 campaign, the team only managed four victories.
"Chuck Pagano provided Colts fans with many exciting wins and memories as head coach of the Colts," said Colts owner Jim Irsay. "Throughout his tenure in Indianapolis, he impacted the lives of the players he coached, those who he worked with in the organization and Colts fans across the globe.
"Chuck's first season was one of the more inspirational stories in NFL history as he courageously battled and overcame leukemia. As a result, his CHUCKSTRONG Foundation has raised millions for cancer research. We are thankful for Chuck's contributions to our franchise and community and we wish him, Tina, and the entire Pagano family nothing but the best moving forward."
Pagano won his final game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, and the head coach's exit was apparently emotional.
Colts coach Chuck Pagano went around the locker room tearfully hugging each player after the game. Pagano was given the game ball by owner Jim Irsay.
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) December 31, 2017
First-year general manager Chris Ballard will now be tasked with finding a head coach to spearhead the second phase of the Luck era.
While the star pivot's health remains a serious question mark, the Colts boast the third overall pick in the draft and the third-most projected cap space for 2018.