Indianapolis Colts officially fire head coach Chuck Pagano

Another disappointing season has officially come to an end for the lowly Indianapolis Colts. The once-promising team led by quarterback Andrew Luck has gone from a force to be reckoned with in the AFC to a team hoping to get a high draft pick on an annual with a star player facing an uncertain future.

After the Colts finished with their 2017 NFL season with a win over the Houston Texans, the team decided it was time to part ways with head coach Chuck Pagano, according to ESPN’s Mike Wells.

The Indianapolis Colts have fired coach Chuck Pagano after six seasons, the team announced Sunday.

Owner Jim Irsay made a statement after the firing was announced by the team. Irsay obviously liked the head coach but also knew it was time to move on after six years without much progress, especially without Luck not on the field, via Wells.

“Chuck Pagano provided Colts fans with many exciting wins and memories as head coach of the Colts,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said in a statement. “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. … 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.”

With the team now moving on from Pagano, the attention turns to the hunt for a new head coach and the long-term health of Luck. Once the team drafted Luck, they thought they had perhaps the next great quarterback in the NFL, but now injuries have become a persistent problem that had shed doubts on whether he’s the long-term option for the team under center.

The combination of Luck’s future and the team’s plans moving forward will significantly impact their coaching search as they try to right the ship.

The odds of the Colts immediately bouncing back with a new head coach and potentially a new quarterback may not be in their favor, but there’s no telling what can happen in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams being a perfect example of that.