Colts Rumors: Mike Kafka, Wink Martindale, Brian Callahan Ruled out of HC Search

The Indianapolis Colts reportedly informed three candidates that they are no longer in the running for their head coaching vacancy Friday.

Albert Breer of The MMQB reported that Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is no longer under consideration and confirmed a report from Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle that New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is out as well.

Also, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka's candidacy has ended, although he is a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job.

Frank Reich was fired after a 3-5-1 start this season—his fifth as head coach of the Colts—and replaced on an interim basis by former Colts All-Pro center Jeff Saturday.

The Colts went just 1-7 under Saturday and finished with a 4-12-1 record overall, leaving them in search of a new full-time head coach.

Indianapolis has had a thorough and wide-ranging coaching search that has seen 13 different candidates receive at least one interview, per Colts Wire.

In addition to Kafka, Martindale and Callahan, the other previous candidates who are no longer in the running include Ejiro Evero, who was hired as defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers, Ben Johnson, who is remaining as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator and Dan Quinn, who is remaining as Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.

That leaves Saturday, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Colts special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone as the known remaining candidates.

The fact that the Colts are taking this long to hire a head coach could be a sign that they favor someone set to coach in the Super Bowl.

Steichen and Bieniemy will be the offensive coordinators for Sunday's big game, and it is possible the Colts are waiting for them to fulfill their duties.

As for the coaches reportedly ruled out Friday, all of them were viewed as strong head coaching candidates when the 2022 regular season ended.

Kafka was an OC for the first time this season under head coach Brian Daboll with the Giants, and he helped revitalize running back Saquon Barkley and perhaps helped earn quarterback Daniel Jones a new contract with the G-Men.

Martindale also played a huge role in the Giants' success in his first season as the team's DC after serving in that role with the Baltimore Ravens from 2018 to 2021.

The trio of Daboll, Kafka and Martindale was key in the Giants far exceeding expectations and reaching the playoffs this season. Daboll won NFL Coach of the Year honors and is likely to be rejoined by Martindale in 2023, but Kafka's situation is still unclear.

Kafka still has a chance to be named head coach of the Cardinals, who are the only team other than the Colts without a head coach currently.

Callahan has been the Bengals' OC since 2019, joining the staff when Zac Taylor was hired as head coach.

The son of former Oakland Raiders and University of Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, Brian has played a role in molding Joe Burrow into one of the NFL's top quarterbacks.

With Callahan as offensive coordinator, the Bengals reached the Super Bowl last season and the AFC Championship Game this season, and it appears he will attempt to continue building on that success in Cincinnati in 2023.