Colts Bringing Back HC Chuck Pagano & GM Ryan Grigson

Alex Marvez of the Sporting News reports that Colts HC Chuck Pagano will return for the 2017 season after receiving assurance from owner Jim Irsay that his job is safe.

Ian Rapoport adds that Colts GM Ryan Grigson is also expected to be back with the team in 2017.

It’s been really quiet in regards to Pagano and Grigson returning to the Colts since their season officially ended last weekend, which has led to some speculation around the league that Irsay could be mulling changes to the team.

Irsay previously told Rapoport that he didn’t anticipate making any wholesale changes to the team during the offseason, so this doesn’t come as a complete surprise.

“I would say it would be unlikely for any changes to occur, honestly,” Irsay said earlier this week at the league meetings in Houston. “It’s unlikely, but look, we’ll see when we sit down and thoroughly vet the season … We’ll see what happens. Obviously it’s been a disappointing week coming off that loss, but we will get ready for the Vikings and get to 9-7 and see what happens. There’s still hope but we obviously have to win the next three games to maintain that.”

Last year, the expectation was that the Colts would be parting ways with Pagano and/or Grigson. However, Irsay apparently had a change of heart and decided to keep both men in place.

“If you think you can improve your football team, if you think you can do better, if you have a vision as an owner even when you’re having some success, then you think you can make a move that benefits you, you do it,” Irsay said. “But I also believe if you look at what happened in our market for in the five years in the Andrew Luck era, then you say let’s go back to Peyton Manning’s first five years, you have two losing seasons and no playoff wins.”

Pagano, 56, was hired as the Colts’ head coach back in 2012. He has led the team to a record of 49 and 31 (61.3 percent), which includes three playoff appearances and a trip to the AFC Championship game back in 2014.