Colts officially hire Shane Steichen as head coach

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts have signed a head coach to lead their rebuild.

Shane Steichen, 37, has been hired just days after helping the Philadelphia Eagles offense score 35 points in a Super Bowl loss.

Steichen is a former college quarterback at UNLV. He began his NFL coaching career in 2011 with the then San Diego Chargers as a defensive assistant.

"Our culture is going to be built on four pillars and one’s going to be character. Character is very important to me. We want to treat people with respect, and we want to feed the positive and weed out the negative. No. 2 is the preparation. I truly believe this. The separation in this league is in the preparation. How we prepare as a football team and an organization Monday through Saturday will ultimately dictate the outcome of the football game," Steichen said. "No. 3 is consistency. We have to be consistent, and it starts with us as coaches. Being consistent with our message to the players and telling them exactly how we want it to look and how we want it to be done. No. 4 is relentless. We have to be relentless in our pursuit to be the best."

Steichen worked for the Chargers for all but one season from 2011-2020, working his way up to becoming the team’s offensive coordinator in 2020.

Former Colts quarterback and colleague of Steichen in Los Angeles/San Diego, Philip Rivers, shared his thoughts on the move.

“Super fired up for Shane. I loved the time we had together with the Chargers," Rivers said. "I’ve stayed in touch with him over the last few years. It was just a matter of time before he got the opportunity to be a head coach. His offensive mind and feel for calling a game is elite. He has great passion for the game and love for the players. The Colts got a heck of a coach and person.”

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When former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni was hired by the Eagles as head coach, Steichen was hired as the Eagles offensive coordinator.

Last season, Steichen helped lead young Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to an MVP runner-up season.

The Colts will look to quickly build a revamped offense with offensive-minded Steichen.

Steichen has a wife, Nina, and two kids - Hudson and Stella.

"Thank you for sacrificing everything you do day in and day out so I can live out my dream. I love you guys more than you know," Steichen said. "Right now, I’m a little bit emotional. Obviously this is a big day for me and my family, but again we want to get some things done here as an organization. This is a special place. There’s a lot of rich tradition here. We’ve got a lot of good players in place. I see some of you guys sitting right there. Looking forward to working with you."

Many anticipate the Colts to consider drafting a new quarterback in the 2023 draft. They currently hold the No. 4 pick in the first round of the draft.

The Colts finished the 2022 season with a 4-12-1 record after firing head coach Frank Reich and finishing the season 1-7 under interim coach Jeff Saturday.

Saturday reportedly remained in the running to return as head coach through the interview process before ultimately losing out to Steichen.

Following the announcement, Saturday took to Twitter to share his thoughts.