Well here’s a somewhat surprising one for a mid-January afternoon: via multiple reports, the Indianapolis Colts have fired general manager Ryan Grigson.
It’s another odd decision by owner Jim Irsay, who waited until a disappointing regular season for the Colts had been over for three weeks before making the move, and just days before league personnel executives, scouts and coaches will descend on Mobile, Ala. for the Senior Bowl.
Irsay may have bungled things for the second straight year. After the 2015 season, amid multiple reports of turmoil between Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano, who were both hired in 2012, not only did Irsay decide to keep the pair, he tied them to one another for even longer, awarding both with four-year extensions.
But now, Grigson is out.
As we outlined in October, Grigson’s record in the draft is poor. Over his first two drafts, in 2012 and ’13, he made 17 picks, and only three of those players, all on offense, were on the 53-man roster this season. Moreover, Grigson had not paid enough attention to the offensive line (before this season) or the defense, particularly since Pagano is a former defensive coordinator: of the 38 draft picks Pagano made, only 16 were on that side of the ball; only six of those 16, all taken in the last two years, were on the Colts’ 53-man roster this season.
Grigson, the Philadelphia Eagles’ director of player personnel before being hired by Irsay, was handed a golden ticket in his first year, when he was able to choose Andrew Luck No. 1 overall. But while the Colts did make the postseason in each of the first three years of the Grigson/Pagano era, it has felt the last two years as though Luck’s potential was being squandered with a thin roster, particularly as the Colts play in a notoriously soft AFC South.
At least one Colts player is not sad to see Grigson go. Behold, tweets from punter Pat McAfee:
One wonders if the timing of Grigson’s firing may be tied to Peyton Manning – reportedly, Irsay has spoken to Manning about a front-office gig, a la John Elway in Denver. Maybe Irsay has convinced Manning to give it a shot?
As of right now, reports say that Pagano is safe, but just a week ago, Irsay somewhat publicly tried to lure “Monday Night Football” analyst and former coach Jon Gruden out of the broadcast booth and back onto the sideline.
The Colts are promoting a press conference with Irsay at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, ostensibly to discuss his decision and what’s next for his franchise.
More NFL coverage on Yahoo Sports:
998