NFL Rumors: Colts Considering 'Rare' Round 3 of Head Coaching Interviews

The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly considering conducting a third round of interviews in their search for a head coach.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, it is rare for NFL teams to have three rounds of interviews, but the Colts are nearly done with their second round of interviews and may whittle the field down to "a select few finalists" for a final interview.

Garafolo added that Colts owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard have conducted "one of the more thorough searches we've seen," with some interviews lasting up to 12 hours, meaning a third round of interviews would be consistent with the nature of the search thus far.

The Colts are one of only two NFL teams without a head coach along with the Arizona Cardinals. Three other teams had vacancies but filled them within the past week.

Former Colts head coach Frank Reich was hired as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, the Houston Texans brought in DeMeco Ryans and the Denver Broncos hired Sean Payton.

Reich spent four-and-a-half years as the Colts' head coach, going 40-33-1 with two playoff appearances, but they fired him after they went 3-5-1 through nine games this season.

The Colts replaced him on an interim basis with Jeff Saturday, who played center for the team for 13 seasons. It was a curious decision since Saturday had no previous head coaching experience above the high school level.

Indy's move did not pay dividends, as the team went 1-7 under Saturday and ended the season 4-12-1, giving it the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Despite his lack of success, Saturday is one of several candidates who have interviewed for the Colts' full-time head coaching job.

Per Kevin Hickey of ColtsWire, the others are Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Colts special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn also interviewed but are remaining with their respective teams.

While the Colts are coming off an awful season, they have reason for optimism, and it can be argued that their head coaching job is a coveted one.

The Colts have a talented defense led by defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and linebacker Shaquille Leonard, who missed most of the 2022 season because of injuries. Indianapolis also boasts an elite running back in Jonathan Taylor and a No. 1 wide receiver in Michael Pittman Jr.

Indy's biggest issue in 2022 was quarterback. Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles all started games and all struggled.

With the No. 4 overall pick, the Colts could select one of the top quarterbacks in the class, such as Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud or Kentucky's Will Levis.

That pick would shape the future of the Colts franchise, and it stands to reason that Irsay and Ballard would like to make sure they are on the same page as their next head coach with that selection.